Healthcare cost is rising because we the people don’t have a say so. Insurance companies have taken over health care. Physicians don’t have the power in what they can do or not do. It is completely controlled by the insurance companies.
Here is a scenario, plastic surgery or laser eye surgery. They do not cost near as much as a basic surgery in the hospital. Why because they are not controlled by innsurance plans. Most insurance don’t cover these types of surgery. so the doctors are left to provide QUALITY service and competitive prices to keep clients coming back. Therefore, they are providing quality and are affordable. The customers are able to choose and select who they want to go to because they are paying for it.

There are lots of reasons but the most fundamental reason is that we emphasize treating acute illnesses far more than preventative medicine. We rather spend the money and resources in treating a heart attack rather than devoting just a fraction of cost upfront to prevent it.

In the U.S. Health care insurance system, insurance premiums for any policy are guaranteed to increase both faster than inflation and faster than the increase in the cost of health care generally. Here’s why: In theory, your premiums are not supposed to increase because you make claims.(Health insurance is not supposed to be sold like car insurance) - but the dirty little secret, is that in practice because of competition, the insurance companies have to continually offer new lower priced policies to the healthiest people. As a result, the healthiest people either buy the new policies in the first place, or drop out of the old plan and buy the new policies when premiums rise. This leaves an ever smaller group of sick people behind (people who don’t qualify for the new policies) - to share ever increasing costs.

It is a mixture of both. I think some people abuse the ER as well. Don’t get me wrong if you need to be seen and you have no/little money fine so be it. However there are clinincs and health departments that can help out. It is frustrating as hell to see someone come in the ER with no life threating emergencies. Especially drunks when it is New Years and St. Patricks day.
I’m not trying to offend just stating my point.

Petty law suits lawyers and malpractice costs is a big part of it it has to do with greed deep pockets and drug companies also! What we don’t ever want is socialized medicine then we will really have regrets!

It’s all of the above.