Let's say you're lying on the sidewalk and having a heart attack. What do you want to do? Get to the nearest hospital so you have a chance at surviving? Alterna

Let's say you're lying on the sidewalk and having a heart attack. What do you want to do? Get to the nearest hospital so you have a chance at surviving? Alternatively, conduct a market survey to determine which option offers the best prices for cardiac care. Market forces don't work for medical for many reasons. It begins with paying the shareholders dividends. That money should go to medical care. Same with C-suite compensation. Every time I hear of a medical system executive getting tens of millions of dollars in compensation, I think, "How many people could get medical care for that money?" $1 million in compensation is roughly equivalent to the annual healthcare premium for 65 people. Then you have specialized clinics, such as MRIs or ENTs, which also have to generate their profits and pay their shareholders and CEOs. I'm reminded of the time I had to see a gastroenterologist, and the place I was recommended was an extremely well-furnished, high-priced luxury office, with a 15-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall aquarium filled with cichlids. Why were they pissing money away on fancy furnishings and an expensive-to-buy and maintain aquarium instead of using the money to take care of patients? We have sufficient experience with financial engineering in other industries to know that applying financial rules to the medical environment is likely to result in worse patient outcomes and a higher concentration of wealth for a few.