BLOOMBERG: …The practice of upfront payment for non-emergency care has been spreading in the U.S. as deductibles rise. Now, the advent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is likely to accelerate that trend.
Many of the plans offered through the law’s insurance exchanges have low initial premiums to attract customers, while carrying significant deductibles and other out-of-pocket cost sharing. The second-lowest tier of Obamacare plans in California, for example, carries a $2,000 annual deductible.
Hospitals say they need to charge patients prior to treatment because Americans are increasingly on the hook for more of their own medical costs. And once care is provided, it’s often difficult for hospitals to collect… (more)
EDITOR: As we said, often seeking health care these days isn’t that much different than buying a used car
Here is a story on how medical ethics have altered. When our original physician here in Lancaster retired two decades ago, he refused to sell his practice but rather referred his patients to new physicians in town. He explained that was how he was treated when he arrived.
