On Wed, 25 Aug 1999, Steve Perry wrote:
> Here is a central economic question that I've never heard answered
> satisfactorily: *Why* have costs spiralled upward so dramatically in
> the past 20 years?
I thought it was because, under the pre-HMO system, cost was no object -- plans paid for whatever the doctors said you needed. Which was an continuous incentive to invent more elaborate and expensive ways to extend your life -- the demand for which is almost infinite.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com