General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: High deductible heath plans maim and kill people [View all]unblock
(52,227 posts)the decisions in the first $4,000 or so are NOT the ones you want patients to be opting against for financial reasons.
the decisions in the first $4,000 or so are the diagnostics and the (comparatively) cheap procedures that prevent or mitigate far more expensive problems down the road.
if they wanted to get the incentives better (within the f-ed up world of private health insured health care), they would make the first $4,000 or so completely free or with very minimal co-pays, and then have the patient pay something like the SECOND $4,000, after which it is all paid for.
if they really wanted to get the incentives right, they would do it based on actual procedures and issues. initial office visits and diagnostics should be free or very cheap, procedures that are expensive but could have been avoided or mitigated with earlier medical intervention that the patient opted against should cost the patient more.
e.g., mammograms are free, and stage 1 lumpectomies are cheap, but procedures relating to advanced breast cancer after failing to get mammograms would be expensive.
having said all this, single payer is far more sensible anyway.