Why is it that everyone in healthcare blames all of the systems shortcomings on the lack of free markets?

I do not believe that the consumer, or patient, determines demand. A patient sees a doctor, the doctor decides what tests need to be run, what procedures are necessary, so on and so forth.

A patient does not go to the doctor and say, "I want two MRI's, a C Scan, and give me three days in the hospital, and throw in a couple of meds..."

Nor could a doctor quote a price. Price is determined by what...the actual costs of services, or is it a variable dependent upon method of payment.

Even billing is determined by method of payment, bundling vs unbundling, bill each service separate, or under treatment type.

Even in the case if the consumer was given control for paying for their healthcare, we are still talking about individuals buying insurance, and thus insurance companies acting as agents for groups of consumers. The contract between the insurance carriers and the healthcare providers would still not give the consumer any more control.

Then the fallacy that consumers, if dissatisfied could change insurance carriers, healthcare is now a commodity business, where size equals cloat, so the larger insurance companies would dominate and the smaller ones would die....leaving us in the same situation we are in today.

Free market is where hospitals can work interns and residents an ungodly amount of hours and lower their costs....but that does not mean we get better healthare...just the opposite.

TAO