By Jeff Evans
DO WE HAVE THE STOMACH TO CUT HEALTHCARE COSTS?
Everyone complains about the high cost of healthcare and health insurance. But can you really complain if you’re not willing to do something about it.
Most people want a plan that allows them to see almost any provider they want to, and pay as little as possible. I mean, who wouldn’t? But we have over 30 years of history has lead us to where we are today. Year after year individuals and employers make minor changes to their coverage to help manage the cost, but rarely do anything meaningful to address those increasing costs.
As this article points out:
Everyone claims to support making healthcare cheaper and more efficient. But when concrete steps are taken to do exactly that — even when backed by evidence — they’re often met with outrage. That outrage rarely stems from legitimate concern about patient harm. More often, it comes from health systems or providers trying to protect a lucrative revenue stream. Add to that a third-party payment system that shields patients from the true cost of care, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for ever-rising healthcare spending.
As noted, the problem is in how we pay for healthcare, patients are rarely responsible for the full cost of the care they receive. As a result, they are less sensitive to the cost, or even the quality, of the care they receive. This lack of awareness makes them vulnerable to providers appeals to their emotions, “Our care costs more because it’s better.” Something that has been disproven many times over as it relates to healthcare. In fact, often times better care can be received at a lower cost when managed appropriately.
When attempts to control costs are made the stakeholders impacted most push back. And not for better care results and in the best interests of patients, but to protect their own financial interests.
“The broader pattern is clear: whenever one healthcare stakeholder tries to pay less for care that achieves the same outcomes, another stakeholder’s revenue is threatened — and the knives come out.”
The following statement nails it, “The result is a kind of cost-control paralysis. We talk endlessly about unsustainable healthcare spending, but when we identify solutions that save money and maintain quality, we recoil, most commonly because the people who benefit most from the status quo know how to mobilize opposition.” (This can also be seen with the Big Health Insurers and many of their Big Box Brokerage partners, protecting their revenue streams at the expense of their clients.)
The results of our resistance to change are clear, “Because ultimately, when we resist innovation and protect inefficiency, we pass the bill to patients, employers, and taxpayers. And we guarantee a cycle of ever-spiraling healthcare costs.”
The reality is that high quality, affordable healthcare is possible, if we open our eyes and get involved.
