Thursday, February 11, 2010

How's that Government Health Care Working for Ya, Massachusetts?

Put health costs on a diet

Not only does Massachusetts have the highest health costs in the country, but according to the report the higher-cost hospitals do not necessarily provide the best care or treat the most complicated cases. Instead, the high rates often reflect the special advantage of a hospital’s brand name, its inclusion in a large provider network, or its location in an isolated geographic area.

If patients were treated like health care consumers, knowing how much treatments cost and making decisions accordingly, costs would come down.