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Originally Posted by MonkeyMama
Malpractice insurance is the highest cost of healthcare I have seen by far. So I have to disagree.
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You are both right, but about different things.
Malpractice insurance is generally the largest single expense for doctors, so MonkeyMama is right about that. But malpractice insurance is not paid for by health insurance companies or Medicare or the government, so it isn't really factored in to the overall costs of healthcare, so the OP is right about that. Rather, the premiums come out of the doctors' pockets. So although it is a major reason why physician income has been steadily declining, it is not responsible for the overall increases in healthcare costs. That would only be true if doctors raised their rates in order to help pay for their malpractice insurance. Since doctors have no control over what they charge for their services, it doesn't work that way.