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Want lower prices? Encourage a system where people directly pay their own money. If all cars cost a $1000 co-pay no matter what car you bought, who's gonna buy

Want lower prices? Encourage a system where people directly pay their own money. If all cars cost a $1000 co-pay no matter what car you bought, who's gonna buy the Honda Accord? However, throw price into the mix and Honda Accord becomes a very popular choice. There's no huge, magical saving of money by running all medical spending through insurance providers. In the end the doctors are going to get paid. It is a matter of whether you pay them directly or pre-pay an insurance provider and they pay the doctor. Insurance is about mitigating the risk of rare but financially ruinous events (eg, cancer or serious trauma). There isn't any risk to mitigate with a flu shot or a bad cold or a mammogram. You insure your car against accidents, not oil changes and flat tires. As for the poor problem, that can be solved separately by providing the poor a stipend for health care. No need to re-architect the whole system because it doesn't work for 100% of the population.

terio 13y ago
The problem with that is that buying health care is far more complex than many other purchases. Now doctors simply will not provide an estimate for their services, and when you visit the doctor you don't know what kind of procedure they will have to perform on you at the visit. In my view the system is so screwed up that will end up socialized pretty soon.
- crazy1van 13y ago
  I think if people have to start paying their money, they will not tolerate that kind of behavior from doctors. Think about when you take your car to the auto mechanic. Generally you pay some money for diagnosis. Then if the mechanic recommends a fix that is cheap, you let him just go ahead. But if the fix is very expensive, you might call around several places to make sure the price is reasonable. Of course, you'd never call around if the price was a $20 co-pay no matter which mechanic you went to. Certainly, not the perfect analogy, but I think it points to the ridiculous nature of our current system and how such a ridiculous system will of course lead to costly behavior. This analogy is for more predictable things like shots, checkups, bad colds, etc. For catastrophic illness and trauma, that's why you have insurance.

terio 13y ago

The problem with that is that buying health care is far more complex than many other purchases. Now doctors simply will not provide an estimate for their services, and when you visit the doctor you don't know what kind of procedure they will have to perform on you at the visit. In my view the system is so screwed up that will end up socialized pretty soon.

crazy1van 13y ago
I think if people have to start paying their money, they will not tolerate that kind of behavior from doctors. Think about when you take your car to the auto mechanic. Generally you pay some money for diagnosis. Then if the mechanic recommends a fix that is cheap, you let him just go ahead. But if the fix is very expensive, you might call around several places to make sure the price is reasonable. Of course, you'd never call around if the price was a $20 co-pay no matter which mechanic you went to. Certainly, not the perfect analogy, but I think it points to the ridiculous nature of our current system and how such a ridiculous system will of course lead to costly behavior. This analogy is for more predictable things like shots, checkups, bad colds, etc. For catastrophic illness and trauma, that's why you have insurance.