Monday, August 13, 2007

Tackle, Shoulder, Shop

When Ted heard his shoulder dislocate, the first thing he wanted was wireless access.

Ten yards from the touchline, Ted compares rates for Minor Emergency Medical Centers, Public Emergency Rooms, and private Hospitals. All on his laptop. (Hell, maybe even his phone?) Finding what he wants, he clicks his health insurance info to the chosen facility. When he arrives, he is seen immediately, as his "paperwork" is completely electronic.

Healthcare is changing. Soon, you'll be able to shop for your medical needs.

Yes, Ladies, I said SHOP.

Universal Healthcare will never happen in the US. Too much money to lose. How many people are willing to go thru medical school and residency to work for 30,000 a year? No one that I'd want to see in an ER.

The proposals are mixed. And many backline plays exist to cut Health care costs. But the try scoring combination will be price transparency passing to the internet. This will free the Doctor and the Patient from the useless bureaucracy created by over-stepping gov't regulation. A competitive market for patients will be created. And just like when two players are competing for openside, both improve their games.

Example:
Lasiks. At first, eye doctors were hoping insurance companies would pick up the $6000 per eye charge for the procedure. The HI companies quickly said, "Go buy glasses." Thank the Rugby Gods that competition, IE Capitalism, fought it's way onto the pitch. Since the big insurance companies weren't going to shell out the bucks, eye doctors had to get lean and mean, creating new procedures and equipment, streamlining processes, and marketing all this to the public. Now, Lasiks can be done for $2000 per eye, sometimes less.


Capitalism will clear the Ruck of Healthcare. And Ted's shoulder agrees.

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