If you want to operate for free, then you go to medical school, pass the exams and get licensed (incidentally, another barrier of entry that lessens competition and raises prices.) Don’t tell a doctor what prices are fair. The market will decide that, and it will only be a fair price if it’s a real, free market.

Now, in order to reduce prices, we can do one of two things. We can increase the supply of what we want (more doctors, more insurance providers) – or we can artificially reduce prices (price fixing, usually via government fiat). Both will accomplish the goal of reducing prices, but only one is valid as a long-term solution.

Now, if you were a large insurance company with a good hold on the market, what would you like to do? Eliminate competition and reduce supply! It’s profitable to be the only game in town. And, to eliminate competition, you can:

a) provide a product that everyone wants at a price they want to pay and drive unfit competition out of the market
b) have an outside source raise the barrier of entry

We’re choosing b) far too often.

You ask how I justify the expense of some of these procedures? Mostly insurance and doctors fighting for control over what they’re able to charge. Lack of competition in the insurance marketplace. High demand for top-quality care and lots of subsidized dollars chasing the few providers. Remember, high demand and low supply always, always leads to high prices – unless you have price fixing by an outside source. It can be a huge hand artificially holding down one side of the scale, but it can only hold on for so long.

Open your eyes. This issue has nothing to do with altruism. Altruism is a side effect. It’s about sanity. Your article misses the point entirely. All you have to say on the issue is “blah blah blah”. Yawn.