Lasik

[Space Racer]

Q: Why has the cost of Lasik eye surgery gone down over the years when the cost of other health care goes up year after year?

A: Because Lasik is not covered by insurance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WnS96NVlMI&list=PLqoQzeUFIns96A2FGgpBiAuKmK4vgTrbl&index=5&feature=plpp_video

[syndicated]

Lol, or it's because "LASIK" is old technology and there are much more accurate and advanced ways of correcting vision.

[Tech Rob]

For the same reason that veterinarians cannot charge what human doctors do. The insurance industry is the goose that lays golden eggs for most people-doctors. Without insurance, doctors have to charge whatever the market determines is a fair price for their services. I'm sure if health insurance were more common for dogs & cats, we'd all be paying thousands for the same saline solution, bandages, and vaccines that we get now for a fraction of that cost.

[Space Racer]

Lol, or it's because "LASIK" is old technology and there are much more accurate and advanced ways of correcting vision.

Lasik is all we hear about on Atlanta radio commercials, and we hear about it all the time.

As a matter of fact, there is a Lasik surgery clinic in Atlanta that goes so far as to promote itself as the official Lasik provider of the Atlanta Falcons.

[scrogdog]

Further, someone truly informed about LASIK would understand that the technology has evolved, much like many other medical procedures.

That's kinda like saying that heart transplants are old and out of date. We have other methods to help hearts as well at this point, but they don't exactly invalidate transplants now, do they?

[Six]

Lol, or it's because "LASIK" is old technology and there are much more accurate
and advanced ways of correcting vision.

Any comment on the point of the thread ?

[jabeu]

It all depends on how good of a coupon you have, and how big the RV is. :eek2:

[JWB]

GOod lasik is not cheap, and cheap lasik is not good.

[Space Racer]

Someone smacked my windshield in a parking lot several years ago. I still had comprehensive on my car, even though it wasn't worth it, and I was debating whether or not to cancel it. So when I saw my windshield, I was glad I still had the insurance.

I took the car in to a windshield shop and asked the man how much it would cost to replace it. He asked me if I had insurance. I said "Yes. Why, is there a difference in price?" He said it was $200 with insurance and $100 without. My deductible was $100. So I paid out of pocket, skipped the paperwork, and cancelled the comprehensive. Lesson learned!

I had a similar experience with a dentist a few years later. He said insurance just makes everything more expensive. As it turned out, dental insurance was more expensive than the gold crown he installed, and I would have had to pay a deductible on top of it.

[Space Racer]

GOod lasik is not cheap, and cheap lasik is not good.

Maybe so, but good Lasik is a lot cheaper than it used to be.

[Tech Rob]

I got mine done about 5 years ago to the tune of $3600... Not sure if I got good or cheap??? lol

[scrogdog]

Fun fact: I worked at a hair transplant clinic before getting in to this industry about 14 years ago.

The prices for elective surgery (elective means that's why no insurance coverage) definitely decline over time for a number of reasons. The primary reason for the doctor (a surgeon) I worked with getting in to the business is that he was sick of Medicare and insurance BS.

The reason that prices go down is twofold; one is that you can consider it like any tech - methodology improves and further, more doctors flee thier former practices once they learn how lucrative the business minus the traditional BS. More competition.

I may be out of the business for a while, but I'm gonna go ahead and take a wild guess that the same is happening with LASIK. Same thing goes for boob jobs or anything cosmetic.