During today's health care summit, Senator Barrasso, trumpeting his bona fides as a physician and orthopedic surgeon, stated that cost is the first question a patient should ask when a doctor recommends a procedure or treatment. Perhaps because Barasso is a specialist, he may not be as acutely attuned to what constitutes the majority of doctor patient interactions. That is primary care. However, I am more convinced that Barasso is following political orthodoxy rather than prudent medical practice.
The conceit offered up by the Republicans is that the consumer is a better judge of how to spend health care dollars. Barasso ,and I think Coburn too, asserted that a closer nexus needed to be made between health care and health care cost. I suppose the idea is that people will be unlikely to use health care insurance and resources if they were aware of the real costs. But does it really work that way...
Read More