Competition in health care delivery of the U.S.: panacea or poison? A critical view.
The U.S. are experiencing growth rates in health care cost, which in Europe have been reduced effectively in most states. The new strategy to reduce the cost increases relies heavily on price competition among providers. It is argued that while reducing cost among the paying patients, the constraints on the system will negatively effect the care delivery for the indigent population who are unable to pay for their health care services, revealing that savings are made on the back of the needy. As the U.S. health care system does not include care for those unable to pay for the services price competitive approaches will not be able to solve deficits of the American health care delivery system but rather lead to an increasing number of people who are in need of services, unless a national program to cover every American's basic health needs will be implemented.
Nippert
R P
RP
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany.
D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D004465:Economic Competition; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006777:Hospitals, Proprietary / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D008489:Medical Indigency / Q000191:economics; D011057:Politics; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States