The entire health care system in the United States is out of control. Insurance companies are unable to control their costs, doctors are unable to control patient care, the government is unable to control their aid programs, and the individual feels unable to control anything!
Costs have been artificially inflated while insurance companies have cut deals with providers and medcaid flat out refuses to cover the actual cost of treatments. Billing for care has become a nightmare industry with health organizations trying to get more and insurance companies trying to pay less. The individual is left to bridge an ever widening gap with co-pays and coinsurance and 80/20 versus 70/30 or 90/10. The average individual could not hope to understand all the nuances without the help of an expert in the industry, but we are all asked every year to review our insurance and make any changes or "new elections" necessary. Then, heaven forbid, we end up in the emergency room and agree to all the tests the doctor suggests not having any idea how much it will cost us in the end (and neither does the doctor, by the way). Is there any other such purchase that we would approve before we knew the total? It would be considered ridiculous to purchase a car without knowing the cost before driving it away; and even more ridiculous to drive away and then refuse to pay the full cost!
We, as individuals, must step up and demand to be informed. We should know what our health care costs, truly costs not just costs us; and we should make educated decisions concerning the direction of our care. Just as we have the right to be fully informed about our health care decisions; we have the responsibility to make informed choices directing our care.
