CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 7: MEDICAL ECONOMICS AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT 161
Some employers, such as General Motors, have given the health care insurance
responsibilities to the union representatives, due to the large expenses of providing
insurance for both current and retired workers. So after a struggle of many
years where the employer shouldered at least a portion of the medical costs, many
employers are pushing for a 401(k)-style setup for health care. Over the past several
decades, the costs of medical care have increased at a greater rate than inflation. In
a 401(k)-style health care package, the employers may contribute money to a plan,
but employees are responsible for spending their money wisely by investing in
healthy behavior. These health care savings accounts may be cumulative and often
have an incentive for the employee and his family to spend wisely, as the amount
that can be spent can easily be exhausted by frivolous visits to the physician for
such minor ailments as colds that can be treated at home in a palliative manner.
A consumer-driven attempt in controlling medical expenses to the customer is
the demand for information on prices, services, procedures, physicians, and hospitals.
Hospitals and clinics may pursue groups of patients with certain ailments
by bundling related tests, services, and procedures for a set price, with consumers
and not insurers in mind. This would allow a comparison of what is being offered
at a number of health care facilities, particularly in larger cities where choices
may be possible as a competitive advantage, perhaps lowering prices.
Previously, insurance companies contracted for negotiated prices for groups
of employees, but many believe that the emphasis should be placed on the consumer,
and proponents of this effort say that open competition will drive down
costs and raise quality. The Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington,
DC, stresses the continuation of placing the focus on individual responsibility
and open competition for both the improvement of health care access
and holding down costs. Current attempts by elected officials to provide government-subsidized
health insurance runs counter to the capitalistic method of
competition as a means of controlling prices and quality of health care. Heated
and emotional debates are growing increasingly vitriolic in 2010 among taxpayers
who may be responsible for substantially increased costs and political figures
who believe that one of the federal government’s responsibilities is to provide
health care for all. It is a certainty that some changes to the current system of
reimbursement for provision of medical care will be the result.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Medical Services
Lifestyle Costs—Should They Be Passed on to the Consumer?
An area that is getting greater scrutiny relates to whether the increased lifestyle
costs of those with risky lifestyles should be passed on to all of those who are
insured. A great deal of information is now available that shows unequivocally
that certain lifestyles contribute to conditions that require greater levels of health
care than do more prudent lifestyles, especially in the latter decades of life. A
prudent lifestyle is one in which risk factors that can be avoided are, and those
that cannot be changed are dealt with by proper diet, rest, and reduction of
stress, to name a few. Obesity and smoking are the root cause of many illnesses
that could be prevented by changing the diet and by exercising. Is it fair for those
who abuse their bodies to cause insurance premiums to increase by double-digits
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