Review: "Some Firms Save Money By Offering Employees Free Surgery" - NPR
To what depths will our insanity go? Michael Tomsic's article was well written and sad. Very sad.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/04/20/474413496/some-firms-save-money-by-offering-employees-free-surgery
Take a step back and ask yourself: why should a business executive have a say in your healthcare? I'm not sure who Bob Ihrie is but I'll guess he's a delightful and hardworking guy since he's worked his way up to senior vice president. But is he the best person to be in charge of what health benefits you're "qualified" for?
Lowe's is a fantastic chain home improvement store. When I need paint colors or advice on how to build a deck, I go to them. Would I go to them for advice on making a pizza? No. Why? Because they aren't in the pizza making business.
So why are non-health businesses involved in healthcare decisions?
Physicians are guilty. Decades ago, we transferred our control of the system to someone else to concentrate on what we do best: take care of patients. I don't think anyone back then would recognize just how warped the medical-industrial complex would make the basic notion of patient-provider care.
The Associate Director of the Pacific Business Group on Health, Olivia Ross' statement about one doctor recommending surgery and another doctor deeming the surgery inappropriate reminds me that second opinions are important. As a physician, I have my "wheelhouse" though I'll give my professional opinion on just about anything when asked. For a patient to build a consensus of opinions before a major life changing decision is their right and should be encouraged by the health system. Our current system discourages second opinions and installs barriers so high that most people don't bother.
How is PSYCH different?
There are no more artificial barriers to care. Everyone has access to the myriad providers and the means of making conscious choices about where to invest their money and time. Allowing people to make their own choices while repairing physician autonomy changes the very nature of healthcare and eliminates corporate involvement as its currently seen.