Jaclyn’s last post was about a proposal floating around Washington DC that would mandate that all employers provide health coverage for employees. I disagree strongly with her take on it.
The truth is, the fact that employers often pay for their employees healthcare costs is what has made medical care in the United Sates not only so expensive, but also so full of bureaucratic delays and red tape. When someone with employer-paid health insurance goes to the doctor, they don’t care how much the doctor charges. All they care about is their copay. Because of this, doctors don’t have to compete on price. Since they’re not competitive on price, there’s no reason to offer any additional benefits or perks (like inviting waiting rooms, cozy exam rooms, house-calls or appointments that doctors aren’t routinely 45 minutes late to) to their costumers.
Because the doctor doesn’t bill the patient directly, they don’t think of the patients as their customers. The insurance companies and health maintenance organizations are their clients. It is to their whims that the doctors must bend.
Getting rid of all employer-funded healthcare would turn us into a nation of healthcare costumers overnight, instead of just consumers. Doctors that provided warm and quality service for a low price would succeed. Those that don’t, wouldn’t.