You're presuming that consumers have the ability of easily making a switch to other healthcare centers. This is divorced from the demographics of healthcare in

You're presuming that consumers have the ability of easily making a switch to other healthcare centers. This is divorced from the demographics of healthcare in the USA, because the problem is that the sickest and oldest patients incur by far the most costs. Many of these individuals are unable to get to even their own hospital effectively, never mind doing market research and trying out different centers many more miles away. Simply put, there is far less ability for consumers to choose in healthcare, even if this step by Medicare is one small step in the right direction. By far, the most sensible system is to have a single-payer, universal healthcare system. Prices can be set nation-wide for drugs, our gov't can bargain and negotiate with providers, and most importantly: healthcare professionals will mostly not operate on a fee-for-service basis, which is a perverse incentive divorced from the Hippocratic oath.