propaganda

[tim]

So there's a meme going around that it's not doctors or hospitals (you know, the ones who get richer by providing unnecessary care), but rather, patients who are to blame for the rising cost of health care, because they demand too much medical treatment.

Do you think so? Have you ever demanded care that was above and beyond what you needed? Have you known anyone who went out and got health care just for fun?

Or could it be that convincing people to blame themselves is a powerfully politically disempowering tactic?

I'm listening to an NPR program at the moment talking about how things would be better if people would just trust their doctors, who are currently cowed into submission giving patients the unnecessary and potentially harmful care they demand because insurance won't reimburse them for spending extra time explaining to the patients that it's not necessary, and due to fear of malpractice suits.

But why should you trust someone who puts their fear of losing money ahead of your welfare?

Comments

[anemone.livejournal.com]

patients have no incentive to go looking for cheaper providers for routine issues.

There are also very few providers of cheaper alternatives. I think this is a shame, not just from a cost-saving standpoint, but from a consumer-convenience perspective. I do not want to have to make an appointment with my doctor when I have a sore throat that I think isn't just a cold. I'd like to be able to go to walk-in clinic open at convenient hours.

The other problem is that it's difficult for consumers to make cost decisions, since health care billing is so bizarre.

[asrabkin]

I agree with everything you're saying. Though I suspect there's a circular dependence here. If consumers had stronger incentives to look for non-MD alternatives for things like sore throats, then those alternatives would become more common.