Healthcare and the Competitive Market Structure Essay -- Health Insura

A competitive market is one that allows easy entry and exit: a market in which companies are generally free to enter or to leave at will. This does not describe the health care market in the US. There are certain assumptions that the competitive market model operates under some assumptions, first is the consumer/patient has full information about the nature of the services required, the anticipated results of their decision and the benefits obtain from the service. This is not true in health care often time the patient is operating at a distinct information disadvantage when they require health care services such as insurance. If a patient purchases health insurance often they don’t know enough information to ascertain if they have purchased a quality plan. Second, consumers/patient and providers (physician, health insurance) act independently. This does not happen in health care because of the asymmetry of information that exists; patients must depend on the decisions made by their doctor or health care provider who is acting on their behalf as a health agent or gatekeeper. Sometimes physicians own diagnostic facilities or invest in health care organizations this affects their ability to be impartial. Third consumers bear the financial impact of their decision and are aware of price differences; most patients are insulated from the true cost of health care because of a third-party payer who bears the financial brunt of the decision to receive medical care. Shi and Singh state that even if a patient wanted to find out the cost of services sometimes it is difficult because of item based pricing. Fourth there is unrestrained competition regarding price and quality among providers. Access to the health care market unrestricted is b... .... Looking back to look forward: health care reform:. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from KPLU News Web site: http://www.kplu.org/health_care_script.html Federal Trade Commission, & Department of Justice. (2004). Improving health care: a dose of competition. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Haft, H. (n.d.). Is health care a right or a privilege? - health policy. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from BNET Web site: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0843/is_1_29/ai_96500897/ Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America a system approach (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Bartlett and Jones. United Nations. (1976, January 3). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Web site: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm Healthcare and the Competitive Market Structure Essay -- Health Insura A competitive market is one that allows easy entry and exit: a market in which companies are generally free to enter or to leave at will. This does not describe the health care market in the US. There are certain assumptions that the competitive market model operates under some assumptions, first is the consumer/patient has full information about the nature of the services required, the anticipated results of their decision and the benefits obtain from the service. This is not true in health care often time the patient is operating at a distinct information disadvantage when they require health care services such as insurance. If a patient purchases health insurance often they don’t know enough information to ascertain if they have purchased a quality plan. Second, consumers/patient and providers (physician, health insurance) act independently. This does not happen in health care because of the asymmetry of information that exists; patients must depend on the decisions made by their doctor or health care provider who is acting on their behalf as a health agent or gatekeeper. Sometimes physicians own diagnostic facilities or invest in health care organizations this affects their ability to be impartial. Third consumers bear the financial impact of their decision and are aware of price differences; most patients are insulated from the true cost of health care because of a third-party payer who bears the financial brunt of the decision to receive medical care. Shi and Singh state that even if a patient wanted to find out the cost of services sometimes it is difficult because of item based pricing. Fourth there is unrestrained competition regarding price and quality among providers. Access to the health care market unrestricted is b... .... Looking back to look forward: health care reform:. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from KPLU News Web site: http://www.kplu.org/health_care_script.html Federal Trade Commission, & Department of Justice. (2004). Improving health care: a dose of competition. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Haft, H. (n.d.). Is health care a right or a privilege? - health policy. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from BNET Web site: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0843/is_1_29/ai_96500897/ Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America a system approach (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Bartlett and Jones. United Nations. (1976, January 3). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Web site: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm