tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076839327674215825.post8214247474078434012..comments2024-03-27T05:14:34.288-04:00Comments on Medinnovation And Health Reform: Consumer-Driven Care: Boom, Bust, or Bouillabaisse?Richard L. Reece, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03446550629857699574noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076839327674215825.post-4780831479151577412008-10-20T16:06:00.000-04:002008-10-20T16:06:00.000-04:00The interviewee is right, there is not sufficient ...The interviewee is right, there is not sufficient data to even say if this works!<BR/><BR/>The discussions about consumer driven healthcare usually assume that we have some kind of a market driven system in place. Just the opposite!<BR/>The current situation is far from consumer/patient friendly. It is all about big corporations/insurance companies, drug companies, and huge health organizations, all in bed with the big government, and their regulations. The regulations are carefully crafted not to hurt the major players, that is, the government, and the large companies.<BR/><BR/>Instead, the major players should be the physicians and the patients!<BR/><BR/>Whenever there is talk about consumer driven health, some commentators argue against the consumer driven healthcare, based on the assumption that people do not want to take responsibility to educate themselves sufficiently to be able to make their own health decisions. This clearly is a huge assumption, based on little data. Fact is, we, (US or the world) never had consumer or market driven healthcare. Never. If you want to call high-deductible insurance plans combined with an HSA or similar attempts in dentistry like <A HREF="http://LocalDentist4Less.com" REL="nofollow">Find a local dentist</A> market driven health care, you ain't seen nothing yet. So basically, we never had consumer really make decisions so far. So there is no data. Get seriously started with it, collect your data, and then create opinions. Otherwise its all hot air and keyboard clicking. Also, keep in mind, in a true market driven health care, an average Joe does not need to take care of the health system, just of his own health, and his own choices for healthcare. Many of us are doing that today, successfully.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com