“One of the most important mechanisms available to enhance the value Americans receive for their healthcare spending is increased competition. Market competition should *encourage healthcare providers to charge lower prices and provide higher-quality services.”
“One of the most important mechanisms available to enhance the value Americans receive for their healthcare spending is increased competition. Market competition should *encourage healthcare providers to charge lower prices and provide higher-quality services.”
* my emphasis
This is the essence of a new administration report on the US health care system.
There is plenty of competition in the health care system, in fact, in many areas there is too much competition leading to duplicative services and facilities leading not to lower prices but increased use of health care.
If competition, consumerism, HMOs, PPO, EPOs and more were going to work they would have. In addition, there is far more to our health care cost problems than providers prices; things like over utilization, unnecessary health care services, fraud on the part of patient and provider, lifestyles, patient expectations, over use of prescription drugs, aging population, new technology and treatments.
Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition
As far as choice goes, the more choice, including the choice not to carry insurance, in health coverage, the greater potential for adverse selection thereby driving up premiums for others. Republicans should have learned that from Obamacare.
Secretary of HHS comments They still don’t get it, patients are not consumers, they are patients and there is a very big difference.
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Categories: Government, Healthcare
Totally agree with your post and I would like to add to it. There is an expectation by employers for employees to show up to work (not sick) resulting in limited sick day benefits. Other employers require a doctor note for any absence resulting in over using the healthcare system. Between the drug company ads and the strain of keeping your job, I think expectations are to get to a doctor and I better get a pill since I lost time from work and paying out of pocket. I am sure that the cost of this is small compared to the big picture but this attitude carries on later in life.
The flip side is that people use sick days as vacation days and not when they are sick.
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