Should dialysis prices be high or low? A simple question like this can confound nuts like me!

As a patient, I feel pricing should be as low as possible. It is, as it is, an expensive treatment. How can ordinary people afford the treatment if the prices are too high?

However, if prices are too low, can quality really be maintained? Can people who value quality and are interested in providing quality remain in business if the prices fall too low? Yes, this may seem like a lame argument from someone who earns his living from dialysis. But think about it without being biased. It is true.

There are dialysis providers at both ends of the spectrum and many in between. The problem comes when people start expecting quality from the low priced providers and low prices from the quality providers. The unfortunate truth is both quality and low price are simply not possible together.

We must remember a simple truth. Businesses are here to make money. Whether it is the restaurant business, the movies business or the healthcare business. Everyone is there in it for the money. Despite tall pretentions of doing good, the primary motive is money. Satisfying taste buds might be a by-product. Entertaining people might be a by-product. Providing quality healthcare might be a by-product. The primary motive is to make money. Neither the providers nor the customers should ever forget that.

When it comes to charity organizations, we must remember the primary motive is not quality. The primary motive is to benefit as many people as possible. The primary intention is to reach people who need the treatment. So, you cannot expect any frills. You should be happy to get the basic dialysis treatment. Which is also all right because at least people continue to get dialysis. People, who otherwise might have died from lack of dialysis are alive because of this.

When we accept these two aspects, the rest follows easily.