...Another thing that struck me about the movie is how much it reinforced my existing political views about modern American medicine and health insurance. One person interviewed for the film claimed that often a C-section surgery is a legal strategy. The idea is that, if a doctor performs a C-section, he or she has made every possible medical intervention, and so cannot be sued. So the problems with American torts certainly show in this area.(Read the full text of his blog post.)
I have long argued that third-party insurance payments -- entrenched by decades of federal tax policy and controls -- subvert individual responsibility. One women in the film said, "People in our culture spend more time and effort researching to buy a stereo system, a car, probably a camera, than they do checking out what their choices are for birth." In our third-party system of prepaid health care, most people have no incentive to seek out good value for their health dollars. Moreover, most people get the health care their employer's insurance company tells them to get, rather than the health care that would best serve their needs.
My wife and I, on the other hand, buy low-cost, high-deductible health insurance and pay for routine and expected care through our Health Savings Account. We're going to pay for our delivery by writing a check or running the debit card. We know what care we're getting and how much it costs. It is only if something goes terribly wrong, resulting in higher bills, that our insurance would kick in. ...
Unfortunately, those earlier government controls have led to yet further controls, which will further worsen the quality and availability of good medical care. How long will the downward spiral continue? The choice is ours.
