Oklahoma Doctors vs. Obamacare

Reason ^ | Nov. 15, 2012 | Jim Epstein

[neverdem]

Three years ago, Dr. Keith Smith, co-founder and managing partner of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, took an initiative that would only be considered radical in the health care industry: He posted online a list of prices for 112 common surgical procedures. The 51-year-old Smith, a self-described libertarian, and his business partner, Dr. Steve Lantier, founded the Surgery Center 15 years ago, after they became disillusioned with the way patients were treated at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, where the two men worked as anesthesiologists. In 1997, Smith and Lantier bought the shell of a former surgical center with the aim of creating a for-profit facility that could deliver first-rate care at a fraction of what traditional hospitals charge.

The major cause of exploding U.S. heath care costs is the third-party payer system, a text-book concept in which A buys goods or services from B that are paid for by C. Because private insurance companies or the government generally pick up most of the tab for medical services, patients don’t have the normal incentive to seek out value.

The Surgery Center’s consumer-driven model could become increasingly common as Americans look for alternatives to the traditional health care market—an unintended consequence of Obamacare. Patients may have no choice but to look outside the traditional health care industry in the face of higher costs and reduced access to doctors and hospitals.

The Surgery Center demonstrates that it’s possible to offer high quality care at low prices. "It's always been interesting to me,” says Dr. Jason Sigmon, “that in any other industry, tons of attention is devoted to making systems more efficient, but in health care that's just completely lost." Sigmon, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, regularly performs procedures at both the Surgery Center and at Oklahoma City's Integris Baptist Medical...

[neverdem]

Oklahoma Doctors vs. Obamacare

The text at youtube was barely a summary,IMHO.

[dsrtsage]

I’ve always thought clinics like this would be an excellent idea...but I will guarantee that places like this will be targeted for destruction.

[hinckley buzzard]

Once obamacare relly gets rolling, it is guaranteed that this and similar outfits will become illegal and closed by the Police.

[ImNotLying]

But, But, But, if people start going to clinics like this and start paying cash for surgeries and other procedures then hospitals will go out of business. Then where will all the illegals go for free healthcare? That wouldn’t be fair! /s

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

No problem, Obama will force them to accept everyone. We are doomed.

[MtnClimber]

The Moosechelle wookie probably ate it all and did not share.

[Mike Darancette]

Under Obamacare I don’t think that doctors can open this type of facility.

[RWB Patriot]

Hmm, I wonder if the government taking action to ban such institutions will give people even half a clue as to how much the government actually cares about improving goods and services.

[1010RD]

Not new ones as the restrictions are very strict. They’ve worked hard to close the gate on this. You’ll be finding black market doctoring and it may actually be an improvement over Obamacare.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Medical tourism.

[Mike Darancette]

Medical tourism.

Think of the nice hospitals on the Mexican Riviera.

[4Liberty]

great piece! thanks

[Still Thinking]

Not new ones as the restrictions are very strict. They’ve worked hard to close the gate on this. You’ll be finding black market doctoring and it may actually be an improvement over Obamacare.

That's in the category of the Taller Than Mickey Rooney Award. Getting mugged and beaten to death in an alley would preferable to ZeroCare. At least there's no rape of your civil rights under color of authority involved, in that scenario.

[roamer_1]

The major cause of exploding U.S. heath care costs is the third-party payer system,[...] Because private insurance companies or the government generally pick up most of the tab for medical services, patients don’t have the normal incentive to seek out value.

This is exactly right. Perfectly right. And it is best evidenced by the fact that it (health) is the only segment in our economy where cash on the barrel-head is worth less in payment than if one happens to be signed to an insurance policy. Everywhere else, cash is king. The best deal should always be cash on the barrel-head.

When it all comes down to brass tacks, it cannot be cheaper for someone else to pay your bills for you - There has to be profit in it for them too.

Government intrusion will only calcify the props that hold this sector up - causing them to continue, rather than breaking them down.

[Still Thinking]

Exactly. Dems are right when they say health care is broken. But the problems are the direct result of market distortions introduced by....the government. And the low quality of service in that sector is because the insurers have a business model eerily reminiscent of....the government. So the chances that more....government....is the solution are nil.

I stand with Barack Obama when he says that if a certain group of people caused a problem, they don't get to claim they have the solution. He has the right principle, just applies it to the wrong bogeymen.