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249 points randycupertino | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.391s | source
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stego-tech ◴[] No.45949690[source]
I feel kinda bad for the writer, because it's a good question: no, curing patients is not a good business model, just like public transit is not a good business model.

What a lot of folks neglect are N+1-order effects, because those are harder to quantify and fail to reach the predetermined decision some executive or board or shareholder has already made. Is curing patients a bad business model? Sure, for the biotech company it is, but those cured patients are far more likely to go on living longer, healthier lives, and in turn contribute additional value to society - which will impact others in ways that may also create additional value. That doesn't even get into the jobs and value created through the R&D process, testing, manufacturing, logistics of delivery, ongoing monitoring, etc. As long as the value created is more than the cost of the treatment, then it's a net-gain for the economy even if it's a net loss for that singular business.

If all you're judging is the first-order impacts on a single business, you're missing the forest for the trees.

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bluGill ◴[] No.45950263[source]
Public transit is a good business model if you don't have to compete with government subsdized roads and you don't have government limits on what you can charge. Good luck finding anyplace without those.
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1. devsda ◴[] No.45950521[source]
> Public transit is a good business model if you don't have to compete with government subsdized roads and you don't have government limits on what you can charge

Without subsidized roads, its easy for deep pockets to offer exorbitant prices for land and monopolize the roads. Anyone not planning to charge high prices for usage will be held off by high acquisition prices at "market" rates.

There's only so much land and roads possible to a given location, privatized roads is like giving default monopoly. It will turn out just like the isp situation, only worse.

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2. bluGill ◴[] No.45953571[source]
Subways in NYC had found ways to compete with each other before the government took over. (though admittedly this was enabled by very dense areas, and long term not the best for the overall city). However your point is destroyed by counter example.