The WSJ’s Ben Brewer (via Dr. Wes) suggests the government give $1 per day to patients for primary care. The resulting $365 will be put to good use:
The patient would choose the doctor. The basket of services would be predefined, and the price would be locked in for a year, paid as a monthly subscription like cellphone service or movie rentals.
Money spent that way would cover a lot of preventive health, office visits, management of chronic diseases, email contact with the doctor, and after-hours advice. Make it tax deductible for individuals as well as businesses.
Makes sense to me. Insurers will push back, as those who benefit from the current bureaucracy such as the coders and administrators, will lose. But this idea is a win for patients and doctors.
