In most industries, tech lowers costs; in healthcare, new "innovations" often serve as a justification for higher fees.
The system incentivizes quantity of care over quality of outcomes.
The book is structured like a medical : the first half "diagnoses" the history and current symptoms of the broken system, while the second half "prescribes" solutions for patients to navigate and reform it. The 10 Economic Rules of the Dysfunctional Medical Market An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big...
In her 2017 book, An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back , Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal—a former emergency room physician and New York Times reporter—analyzes the transformation of the U.S. healthcare system from a "noble profession" into a profit-driven "medical-industrial complex".
Unlike other industries, consumers cannot easily "shop around" during medical emergencies. In most industries, tech lowers costs; in healthcare,
Chronic treatments generate more recurring revenue than one-time cures.
Rosenthal outlines 10 "rules" that explain why healthcare costs defy standard market logic: The 10 Economic Rules of the Dysfunctional Medical
Patients are often restricted by insurance networks or "hidden" providers they never see, such as out-of-network anesthesiologists. Major Players in the "Money Chase"