[quote=bubba99]
And this doesn’t even consider the $40 aspirin, nor the $50 blanket. What sort of magic does GAAP have to explain this sort of disconnect in price vs. traditional expense items – perhaps it is some other mark to fantasy type of accounting or SPV that accounts for the “hidden” costs.[/quote]

Umm….GAAP doesn’t have anything to do with pricing.

Beyond that, more anectodotal examples don’t prove your point. Capital costs, the interest on those capital expenditures, and profit on those assets, finance, insurance and real estate are not the only drivers in health costs. These costs are mostly associated with hospital stays which make up less than 1/3 of total medical costs.