GV, OT - Health Insurance
Quite a while ago I heard a gentleman speak about health care and health insurance. He said what gradually ruined the system was when employers (right after WWII, I believe) started giving employees health care as a benefit.
It took it out of the free market, and the end user wasn't the person paying the tab. Whenever that happens, the policies are designed to benefit the guy who picks up the bill, not the person who actually uses the service. Ultimatly, the medical care system has evolved into a value chain of employer needs first, insurance company needs second, medical facility needs third, and patient needs last.
Imagine if employers had never provided health care as a benefit, instead paying what it costs them, in higher wages. I'm willing to bet that there would be a whole lot of different kinds of policies, that the service would be much better, and that it would be cheaper. If insurance companies and hospitals had to compete in a normal, one decision at a time price/value end user marketplace, the product would have to fit the needs of the patients.
Most of the doctors I've talked with see things getting worse, and can't think of a solution to the mess.
John |
