The Chicago Tribune has a good story on how difficult it is for consumers to find out how much something in health care will cost before they agree to pursue it. And the story shows what a joke it is to discuss “consumer-driven health care� in the current environment.
“The market just isn’t ready to deliver on the promise of these new insurance products,� says the president of the Midwest Business Group on Health in the article.
The article told the story of several failed consumer attempts to find out pricing information. One was by a woman who is also an exec with the Wisconsin Hospital Association, who said “How are people supposed to make good decisions if you won’t give them information?�
“This is the only industry where people are buying services without any information,� said the executive director of the Business Health Care Group of Southeast Wisconsin in the article. “If we want people to become more engaged in thinking about what medical care costs, we have to change that.�
Posted by schwitz at August 11, 2006 06:56 AM | TrackBack...and this is why Part D will eventually fail. even if the pricing information is, in principle, available, that doesn't mean consumers will be able to digest it and be able to make effective decisions based on it.
Posted by: Scott at August 12, 2006 09:11 PMThis is the achilles heel of Consumer Driven Health Care products. The past tells us that providers are extremely reluctant to divulge their fees. Fees differ for different payors. In many cases they do not have a "base" cost but have a myriad of negotiated fees. Negotiation leverage (i.e., volume) seems to be the name of the game in health care.
Posted by: John Ritchie at August 16, 2006 12:03 AM