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At present, we spend nearly 15% of GDP, or $7,000 per man, woman and child in the United States on healthcare. The next highest nations, Germany and France, spend only about 10% of their GDP on healthcare. The additional 50% we spend does not reward us in longer lives or a better quality of life.
Those in the healthcare community would argue that Americans receive the best healthcare in the world, and we therefore pay more. I would argue that the best measure of healthcare is longevity, and Americans do not live longer than those in other developed countries. While we may lead the world in high-tech solutions to healthcare problems, the results are no better than elsewhere -- just more expensive.
We as consumers bear the primary responsibility to control costs
Our current experience in the healthcare system is that we make few choices, and do little to scrutinize the charges billed to us by healthcare providers. Since most of us have our healthcare premiums paid by our employers, we seldom have the opportunity to choose our specific healthcare plan (or choose from a limited selection provided by our employer). This is not how we make other major purchasing decisions, such as a house or an automobile.
We also see little detail of our healthcare bills. Since most of us pay only a portion of our bills, through a small percentage or a nominal co-payment amount, we as consumers do not look for value or efficiency when we shop.
Those in the healthcare community may argue that the quality of care should not have a price, nor does price enter into the equation when physicians are considering healthcare delivery options. While this may be true on an individual basis, healthcare professionals do live in an environment where resources are limited. We do not exercise our ability to change demand, or change...
With all major purchases, we as consumers demand quality for money, whether for services or for products. As we've seen above, the fact that we insulate ourselves from our healthcare expenditures means that we leave discernment at the door when we walk into a healthcare institution.
By choosing our insurance provider, we as consumers will become more discerning about what services we want to have. By paying a significant portion of our regular healthcare expenses, we will start to ask questions about the value we are receiving for our money. In short, our power as consumers can change the quality of the services we receive.
Those in the healthcare community may argue that consumers cannot judge what healthcare is needed; that doctors and nurses know what is best for us. While that may have been truer in the past, the current use of the internet has increased our knowledge as consumers, and created a role for us as participants in our healthcare decisions.
Conclusion
Healthcare expenditures are too high in the United States when compared to the value of the services we receive. We do not apply the same sort of consumer logic to healthcare decisions that we do to other parts of our lives. Part of this difference lies in the fact that we see little or none of the expenses related to our health care. If we were to play a more active role in choosing our insurance provider and our healthcare providers, we could choose more cost-effective services. In short, consumer choice would help all of us to lower costs and improve the quality of the healthcare we purchase.
Health Care Costs are Out of Control
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