Patient Power

Market-based alternatives to big-government health care reform

Congress to Healthcare Market: Drop Dead, economics Professor Mark J. Perry summarizes “market-based healthcare solutions have gone largely unnoticed, despite the fact that they have successfully lowered medical costs and improved both access and quality of service.” He describes the success of:

1. Retail clinics
2. Retail clinic-hospital partnerships
   “full range of medical services, from flu shots to major surgery”
3. On-site workplace healthcare clinics
   References this story from Milwaukee Public Radio.
4. Affordable $4 generic drugs
5. Prepaid medical plans: “affordable, pre-paid healthcare plans that cover basic medical services …from a participating board-certified physician, with no deductibles, no additional premiums, and no co-payments.” $480 per year.
6. Concierge medicine
7. High-deductible health insurance plans along with individually owned and managed health savings accounts (HSAs).

Perry concludes that while politicians in DC are figuring out how more political intervention into medical and insurance makets can reduces costs and increase access (it won’t), the private marketplace is already doing it. Read the whole article at The American: Congress to Healthcare Market: Drop Dead.

(via State House Call)

• Success of Health Savings Accounts & high-deductible insurance
• High marks for retail medical clinics
• Employers & employees save big with HSAs
• Land O’Lakes employees happy with consumer-directed insurance
• Wendy’s employees save with HSAs