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Forcing insurers to pay for “oil changes” drives up premium costs and depletes funds that patients could otherwise use to pay for preventive care.

by gbacon 9y ago

michaelmrose 9y ago
It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters. More importantly it leads to less people dying of preventable matters. What you seem to be implying is that its a net negative to which I say citation needed.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters It also catches things that require long expensive treatment early enough for them to be treated, rather than treatment be pointless, and, even if attempted, of shorter duration (on average) than if the conditions were found earlier, which is why preventive care doesn't seem to reduce aggregate costs. The best way to reduce aggregate healthcare costs, if you have no other priorities, is to just make people less likely to seek care. No care = no costs.
- u801e 9y ago
  > It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters. Doing that could also drive up the price of oil changes such that they're no longer affordable without the use of insurance. If you could get an oil change for $50, then most people could afford it by paying for it outright. If that oil change now costs $500, then most people would have to go through insurance, and get the "discounted" price of $100 (which either has to be paid if the deductible has not been met, or you end up paying 10 to 30% of it).
- gbacon 9y ago
  Your reasoning holds water. How does it play out in the real world? Do “free” checkups result in more frequent well visits? Goods and services are allocated by price or by time. Take out the price component and assume that people will go to doctor more often, obtaining an appointment will take longer. How do time and hassle required to see a doctor disincentivize well visits?

Forcing insurers to pay for “oil changes” drives up premium costs and depletes funds that patients could otherwise use to pay for preventive care.

by gbacon 9y ago

Forcing insurers to pay for “oil changes” drives up premium costs and depletes funds that patients could otherwise use to pay for preventive care.

michaelmrose 9y ago

It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters. More importantly it leads to less people dying of preventable matters. What you seem to be implying is that its a net negative to which I say citation needed.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters It also catches things that require long expensive treatment early enough for them to be treated, rather than treatment be pointless, and, even if attempted, of shorter duration (on average) than if the conditions were found earlier, which is why preventive care doesn't seem to reduce aggregate costs. The best way to reduce aggregate healthcare costs, if you have no other priorities, is to just make people less likely to seek care. No care = no costs.
u801e 9y ago
> It gets people to get more oil changes and thus avoids the insurer having to pay for more expensive matters. Doing that could also drive up the price of oil changes such that they're no longer affordable without the use of insurance. If you could get an oil change for $50, then most people could afford it by paying for it outright. If that oil change now costs $500, then most people would have to go through insurance, and get the "discounted" price of $100 (which either has to be paid if the deductible has not been met, or you end up paying 10 to 30% of it).
gbacon 9y ago
Your reasoning holds water. How does it play out in the real world? Do “free” checkups result in more frequent well visits? Goods and services are allocated by price or by time. Take out the price component and assume that people will go to doctor more often, obtaining an appointment will take longer. How do time and hassle required to see a doctor disincentivize well visits?