# What problems could we solve in America, that could actually save money by solving the problem, but we still don't solve them **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 7, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-problems-could-we-solve-in-america-that-could-actually-save-money-by-solving-the-problem-but-we-still-dont-solve-them/1018017 "2025-05-07T16:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 65
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-problems-could-we-solve-in-america-that-could-actually-save-money-by-solving-the-problem-but-we-still-dont-solve-them/1018017/65 "2025-05-12T01:14:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > Charging even a very modest amount for tuition, textbooks, room and board, etc. tends to have a big psychological effect on minds. Even just $250 a semester feels drastically different to the consumer/economics/payer mind than $0. > > Well, most CA community colleges charge a modest Student body fee, and then there’s textbooks, which AFAIK, arent even free in the nations with “free” colleges. > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > This is why, for instance, in some nations that offer single-payer universal healthcare, by analogy, they’ll still charge a small fee that does almost nothing to defray the actual cost of the healthcare provided, such as $10 or $20. > > Yes, many nations with UHC still have a modest co-pay. @Velocity’s phrase “deterrence against frivolous use” is perfect. Short, punchy, and exactly accurate. See here for a post, and an entire thread, on exactly this topic. > [@What's the point of trivial insurance co-pays?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-trivial-insurance-co-pays/326082/21): > > I used to own a laundromat back in the 1970s. When we bought it, the driers were equipped with timers but not coin mechanisms; IOW the dry was free, a common come-on in those days. These driers were the big laundromat type with the round glass door which can easily dry 2 or 3 washer-loads at once. Some other laundromats charged for dries, a dime being the common price. Coin mechanisms were $200/ea, so the time to payback on a retrofit was long, considering the dime also had to pay for mainte… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-problems-could-we-solve-in-america-that-could-actually-save-money-by-solving-the-problem-but-we-still-dont-solve-them/1018017)._