Thank you, thank you for adding a clear and constructive opinion that lends itself to more thought around preventative and price-leveling of Provider fees!

Any and all conversation around this notion of patient accountability and getting people engaged in how they spend their money is both worthwhile and needed. Obviously, there is NOT a single, broad-brush approach that will fit all scenarios and a Consumerism Model generally only fits those non-acute, recurring, and usually out-patient/Rx type of expenses… acute/inpatient type of care would/should lend itself to a “Bundled” or outcomes type of reimbursement and I hope to see Wellness types of services (A1c labs, preventative screenings, chronic disease support/maintenance types of services) presented to patients/employees as free or nearly free so as to remove barriers for people to embrace the “right things to do”.

There is no clear answer in this dialogue as to what will work, but I was very appreciative of your comment because the only way to move forward is to look at and embrace more obvious and simpler/more direct methods of improving the value exchange between patients and their Providers of Care.

christopher

I offer this quotation by Eva Mor in conjunction with your view, “What we need in a health system is uniformity in pricing for procedures and services and modalities of provision of testing and procedures for diagnosis and treatment. By providing coverage to the uninsured, which initially will cost the taxpayer, it eventually will save us hundreds of millions of dollars.

As of today, we are paying through our health insurance and our taxes for their care. When the uninsured seek health care, they come to the emergency room, either acutely ill due to waiting too long before seeking help, or bringing in a child with a runny nose and a cough. This is the most expensive mode of health care delivery. If those people were cared for by family doctors, it would cost the system much less.” http://www.ourblook.com/component/option,com_sectionex/Itemid,200076/id,8/view,category/#catid107

The insurance industry certainly is a major part of the problem, however a preventative approach to health care is also greatly needed. However, allowing doctors to market themselves like plastic surgeons could be as potentially harmful to the system. Regulating health care is a very touchy subject, because we are a free market society, however health care, though in many ways is a profitable business, needs to be reevaluated. At what point is health care a business and at what point a necessity, holding it more accountable to fair pricing for the poor, the rich, and the middle classas?