Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

It sounds like in the "free market healthcare" system hospitals are incentivized to get the patient to spend as much as possible. That's aside from other bad incentives of such a system such as hospitals not wanting to be transparent with their prices, insurance companies not wanting to take patients with pre-existing conditions, also wanting to cover as few conditions as possible, Big Pharma being incentivized to ask for as high drug prices as possible (while lobbying for a ban on generics and imports), and so on.

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#5

Post by joncrane » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 1:51 PM UTC

Sounds like another one of those "this is what happens when money (as opposed to patient wellbeing) becomes a driving factor in health care."

I remember I tried to find a PCP once and I showed up for my intake appointment and the young, rushed doctor said they wouldn't enroll me as an official member unless I had two intake visits. They were gaming the insurance system.

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#6

Post by marze » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 1:53 PM UTC

This article makes it sound like medical costs in the US could be halved if everyone understood this problem, and did their own research on proposed procedures.

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#7

Post by blattimwind » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 1:55 PM UTC

mtgx wrote: post #4

It sounds like in the "free market healthcare" system hospitals are incentivized to get the patient to spend as much as possible. That's aside from other bad incentives of such a system such as hospitals not wanting to be transparent with their prices, insurance companies not wanting to take patients with pre-existing conditions, also wanting to cover as few conditions as possible, Big Pharma being incentivized to as…

At least you're living in a free country with free healthcare and not some socialist shithole with universal healthcare.

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#8

Post by whb07 » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 2:01 PM UTC

joncrane wrote: post #5

Sounds like another one of those "this is what happens when money (as opposed to patient wellbeing) becomes a driving factor in health care." I remember I tried to find a PCP once and I showed up for my intake appointment and the young, rushed doctor said they wouldn't enroll me as an official member unless I had two intake visits. They were gaming the insurance system.

More like, “what happens when the patient does not directly feel the financial bill and the doctor tries to charge/do unnecessary things to make more money”.

This is a direct result of the laws and regulations distorting the market.

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#9

Post by Broken_Hippo » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 2:07 PM UTC

blattimwind wrote: post #7

mtgx wrote: post #4

It sounds like in the "free market healthcare" system hospitals are incentivized to get the patient to spend as much as possible. That's aside from other bad incentives of such a system such as hospitals not wanting to be transparent with their prices, insurance companies not wanting to take patients with pre-existing conditions, also wanting to cover as few conditions as possible, Big Pharma being incentivized to as…

At least you're living in a free country with free healthcare and not some socialist shithole with universal healthcare.

I'll take the socialist healthcare over the shit I got in the states, thank you. Sure, every system has its own problems and it isn't perfect. But I can get care. My yearly out-of-pocket is less than some folks pay per month for premiums, and definitely less than the average deductible. No more fears of losing a job and therefore losing medical coverage or going broke because of something out of my control.

Have you even tried some of these other healthcare programs by living in such a country?

Re: Unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially (2015)

#10

Post by Sumaso » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 2:07 PM UTC

whb07 wrote: post #8

joncrane wrote: post #5

Sounds like another one of those "this is what happens when money (as opposed to patient wellbeing) becomes a driving factor in health care." I remember I tried to find a PCP once and I showed up for my intake appointment and the young, rushed doctor said they wouldn't enroll me as an official member unless I had two intake visits. They were gaming the insurance system.

More like, “what happens when the patient does not directly feel the financial bill and the doctor tries to charge/do unnecessary things to make more money”. This is a direct result of the laws and regulations distorting the market.

Yeah lets get rid of laws and regulations, that will fix health care prices!!! /s