>But they can - and will - find other procedures. Not making enough money from that doctor's visit? Well, we better do some tests, then, just to be sure there's

>But they can - and will - find other procedures. Not making enough money from that doctor's visit? Well, we better do some tests, then, just to be sure there's no lurking problem. Oh, there was a spot on that X-ray - more tests. We didn't find anything serious, but there was a benign growth that you probably should get taken care of. Don't worry, it's a quick procedure, it could potentially be done as an outpatient but you might want to make it an overnight hospital stay just to be sure. Shit, you contracted an infection in the hospital? Gotta extend that stay until you're better. Right. This is exactly what we want (save the MRSA). The problem with the American healthcare system isn't just that it's expensive; it's expensive and still has worse outcomes than in other industrialized countries. Part of the reason for that is that patients cut off their care for financial reasons, and not because they've reached a satisfactory conclusion about their state of health. The way you describe the mindset isn't a function of Medicare per se, but of the fact that there's still a profit motive involved, even when receiving Medicare funding, in a system that is largely privately-funded. Maybe releasing that source of pressure and competition and scarcity will change the way people on both sides of the doctor-patient relationship approach their care.