A Positive Example of Customer Based Health Care

This recent article from the Wall Street Journal shows how customer-drive health care clinics provided better care for lower cost, precisely because consumers determine how best to spend their own health dollars. These small retail clinics are an especially good value for those with Health Savings Accounts or those who are uninsured:

Much like the response to Hurricane Katrina, private companies are far ahead of the government in answering Americans' needs, this time for more accessible and more affordable health care. Political leaders across the country seeking to expand government's role in health care should take note.

...The market is providing cheaper medicines, more affordable care -- and it is also helping the uninsured. A Harris Interactive poll conducted in March for The Wall Street Journal said that 22% of those visiting the clinics were uninsured. Wal-Mart says that half of its clinic visitors are uninsured.

Retail clinics are particularly attractive to 4.5 million people with Health Savings Accounts who have health insurance with higher deductibles and want an affordable option for some of their routine care.