title: Employer-based private health insurance needs structural reform.
abstract: This paper argues that certain structural barriers in our employer-based health insurance system inevitably mean failure by employers, private insurers, and physicians to produce a system that provides affordable health care and insurance to the entire population with a minimum of government regulation and intervention. Key barriers that lead to failure in managing the physician-patient transaction and the competition among health care/health insuring plans are described. Finally, the minimal scale of needed reform is discussed.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D003361:Cost Allocation / Q000191:economics; D004465:Economic Competition; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D009042:Motivation; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011057:Politics; D013660:Taxes; D014481:United States