Horror Care: How Private Health Care is Shortening Our Lives

[tclambert]

3. Can we provide bonuses for good outcomes?

Right now, drug companies make more if they leave you sick enough you have to keep taking pills every day. One pill that cures you completely? No so profitable.

Insurance companies profit more if you die quickly. They don't want government "death panels." They want private for-profit death panels, ones that make more money if they can just delay your treatment with red tape and claim disputes long enough for you to become someone else's problem--Social Security disability or the mortician.

I'm tempted to tell doctors, "I'll throw in a bonus of $5,000 if you cure me completely." No bonus for death or continued illness. I think most doctors would pretend to feel insulted by such an offer. But probably because it's too small. If I could offer $5 million, I bet they'd take notice.