Consumer Confidential: Another downside to U.S. healthcare system: Way more opportunities for fraud

It's no secret that Americans pay more for healthcare than people in all other developed countries. And a big reason for that is because our $3 trillion healthcare system is focused to a large extent on generating profits for businesses, rather than the well-being of patients.

Much of that profit-seeking is perfectly legitimate, by which I mean it's frequently outrageous, unethical and immoral, but within the letter of the law.

Then there's all the profiteering that occurs in the shadows, seeking to exploit the insane complexity of the U.S. healthcare system and in so doing drive costs even higher.

"All healthcare systems have fraud," said