I agree with the second quote. According to my view consumer driven health care instead of causing a health crisis will in fact make it possible for us to avoid a health care crisis for middle income America. Consumer driven health insurance is like ‘tough love’ as mentioned in the article. Initially it might be tough and difficult for the employees but in the long run this will yield positive results for both the employees and the American population.
If the employees know in advance that they will have to pay for their own medical expenses from a fixed amount then they will take proper care of their health so as to avoid costly preventable diseases. Moreover, this approach will make the consumer more knowledgeable of the prices of medications and he will purchase only medically necessary prescriptions which will help employers cut their unnecessary costs. Question 2
According to my view several likely developments will take place in the health care system of US because of a substantial increase in health care costs. Firstly, employers will now offer CDHI (consumer driven health insurance) so as to cut their costs. According to this plan the consumers will be given a fixed amount to spend on their health. Generous payments by the employers for their employees have resulted in making the health care market inefficient as a result of which they are charging high prices.
If the employees become more prudent because of Consumer driven health plans then in the future the prices of health care products and services will come down to lower levels and this will help weed out inefficient health care service providers who charge very high costs thus only the efficient ones who operate at lower cost and provide services at lower price will survive which will be beneficial for the consumers. Moreover, the employers of different companies will provide ‘wellness programs’ so as to save money associated with heath cost, absenteeism and workers disability claims.
Companies which implemented such programs have shown significant improvements in these areas as they have managed to increase their profits by saving costs. Therefore, other companies will also follow suit. Hence, wellness programs will improve the general health of the employees which in turn will reduce the employees health related costs for the employers. In short the health care system of US will witness dramatic changes like lower costs, higher quality, greater efficiency, and better access to care.
