title: Eliminating fixed costs: Part I--Health system drivers.
abstract: Americans want less-bureaucratic, higher-quality, and above all, less-costly health care. Reducing the number of nurses, pharmacists, and others who care for patients is not a viable solution; fiscal constraints, which reduce fixed costs, are superior to other options in containing health costs. To this end, it is imperative that the U.S. reimbursement system be simplified. Posing as a major encumbrance are some deeply vested, highly placed self-interests that obstruct implementation of a partly private, partly public reimbursement system that would better serve patients, providers, and insurers. In part I of this two-part article, the author describes some of the drivers that are pushing health care costs to higher levels.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Weil
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D017149:Private Sector / Q000191:economics; D017150:Public Sector / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States