Friday, May 28, 2004
A slice on rising health costs
We all know that one reason for rising health costs is that newer technologies are more expensive. For one small example, consider the evolution from sigmoidoscopies to colonoscopies. The medical director Patient Care writes that sigmoidoscopies have virtually ceased once colonoscopies became a covered benefit under both Medicare and private insurance. Consider the charge for a sigmoidoscopy is several hundred dollars compared to over $3000 for a colonoscopy. Thus, the cost of screening for 100 patients increased from $20,000 to $300,000. Even taking into account that sigmoidoscopies should be performed more frequently (3-5 years compared to 10 years), this is a signficant increase.While these advances benefit patients, there is a cost: rising health insurance premiums, more expensive medications, decreased physician access, a growing number of uninsured. Can we afford to be advancing so fast?
Posted by Kevin |
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Comments:
A big part of the problem is that we've removed free market factors that would normally act to keep prices down. The most important is a disconnect between money paid for services and the services rendered. Once someone pays their premium, who wouldn't want to milk it for all its worth? If someone is faced with a desicion for paying even a percentage of the colonoscopy vs a flex sig, you'll have a lot more consideration on the issue.
Galen
Galen
# posted by 
: 5:47 PM
: 5:47 PM
Query, and this is serious, can one responsibly elect to have a flexible sig rather than a colonoscopy. I am struggling with making that descision right now. Emotionally I owuld much prefer to have the sig.
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# posted by : 6:51 PM
: 6:51 PM
