As Paul Krugman said today: patients are not consumers.
And not only that, it's wrong to see them that way. Consumers who are trying to cut costs spend less, it is true: but often in health care that is spending that is spent less wisely. It's better to go for a regular checkup, a relatively cheap procedure, than to get extraordinarily expensive care once a bad situation develops. But in the US today, even those with so-called "gold plated" policies face punitive fees for check-ups, and are discouraged from making sure that they are healthy.
Yours, thinking that "What Krugman said" could be a regular blog heading,
N.
And not only that, it's wrong to see them that way. Consumers who are trying to cut costs spend less, it is true: but often in health care that is spending that is spent less wisely. It's better to go for a regular checkup, a relatively cheap procedure, than to get extraordinarily expensive care once a bad situation develops. But in the US today, even those with so-called "gold plated" policies face punitive fees for check-ups, and are discouraged from making sure that they are healthy.
Yours, thinking that "What Krugman said" could be a regular blog heading,
N.
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