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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: neolib who wrote (214864)	1/25/2007 6:45:10 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Irrelevant. It is still surgery. The issue is that surgery can be cheap and safe. Years ago I had my vision corrected with laser surgery. I checked all the ads, made calls, went to two screenings, etc. among the 4-5 different providers in my area. As I recall, the price variation was less than $200, or 5% of the total cost. So I don't see where so-called competition meant much in the way of price. It was just ads telling prospective consumers who the docs were, where located, what the procedure involved, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------ Example of healthcare industry being 'unsuited to competition': If I buy a Ford car, decide the quality wasn't worth the price, the next time around I buy a different car. If I decide my doc did a bad job taking out my gall bladder, I don't get a do-over. Plus how in the world would I know he did a 'bad job' short of being killed or maimed??

To: neolib who wrote (214864)	1/25/2007 9:06:28 PM
From: jttmab	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Precisely why it is negative sum. I never would have guessed that's what negative sum meant. Thanks. Irrelevant. It is still surgery. The issue is that surgery can be cheap and safe. I have to disagree with you on this. The optional aspect changes the entire dynamics. You would also have to look at how saturated that particular market [cosmetic surgery] is with surgeons. The adds for tit & eye surgery spend half the time telling you how their particular Diplomat of the bla bla Association is actually the most experienced in the Galaxy and performs more surgeries than all his competitors combined. Do you seriously think you would want a lousy Dr with a laser in your eye? Of course not. Even change it to you're average family doctor. IF you were to call the family doctors in the area and you get $75 quotes for an office visit from 8 doctors, $150 from one practice and $35 from another practice. [As an aside, I'll bet the $150/office visit doctor doesn't touch a medicaid patient.] I'm not sure people would jump on that $35/office visit doctor. Of course, there is no consumer reports for doctors. Who is competent, who is not? Somebody passed with D's and four tries on medical exam. But they got the same sticker on the wall as everyone else. Doctors have access to a database of all patients that have sued for malpractice; it helps them determine whether they have time to take you on as a new patient. I'd like to have access to a database of doctors that have been sued for malpractice. No database for me. A lot of people yell about frivolous lawsuits and medical liability. Ok, if you're wife is pregnant and you're looking for an OB/Gyn would you want a doctor that was sued four times for malpractice? "But honey, he's cheaper." There are many dynamics in the health care industry, only a few of which both of us have mentioned that make it different than most of the rest of the consumer market. jttmab