In a recent Atlantic post, James Hamblin reports on the increasing frequency with which surgeons perform hysterectomies with the assistance of robots. Here is a picture from that post: To be clear: robotic surgery doesn’t mean a robot performs the operation. Instead, the surgeon uses a laparoscope, usually, and the surgeon controls the tools at…
In the previous two posts, I show that out of pocket costs are rising given the increasing prevalence of high deductible insurance plans. That means that even though you have insurance, you are going to be paying for your own care until you reach the deductible. Here is a picture showing that out-of-pocket costs are…
In my previous post, I showed a powerful picture (from the Kaiser Family Foundation) of the growth in high deductible insurance plans. Here is another picture from that same report, showing that the high end of these high ends is getting really high. (Click here to view comments)
With health care costs rising, employers (and insurance companies) are increasingly asking consumers (aka “patients”) to have more “skin in the game”—to pay more out of pocket for their medical care. The Kaiser Family Foundation has a nice report on trends in health insurance deductibles. This picture shows the rise in these deductibles. That means:…
See this Fayetteville Observer story about a disturbing new type of doctor’s office, called an express care center. And in the process of reading the article, you’ll see my take on the relevance of gas stations for understanding our insane health care system. (Click here to view comments)
Are there really too few primary care physicians? And if so, what can we do to solve the PCP shortage? The standard answer to the first question is “yes, we have too few PCPs.” And the standard solution is to train more such docs, or allow more foreign-trained primary care docs into the country or,…
Since the recession hit hard a few years ago, health care expenditures have slowed dramatically. It now looks like, at least for medications, cost increases are making a comeback. For instance: Nexium, a heartburn drug, had a 7.8% price hike to a $262 average prescription in the first nine months of 2012. Enough to make…
You may have heard this week about a new study, led by my friend and colleague Pete Cram, which revealed astonishing variation in prices for hip replacement surgery. Staggering, actually—ranging from a bit over $10,000 to over $125,000. I have blogged a bit about hospital prices, and doctor fees, even a recent post on orthopedic…
In September of 2011, Laugesen and colleagues looked at why health care in the US costs so much. Part of their analysis explored primary care physician fees. It showed that primary care docs in the US make a bit more, per office visit, than their colleagues in 5 other countries. But Americans are much less…
NPR’s Planet Money published two excellent graphs this week, comparing health care spending in the US now versus the 70s and 90s. For example, here’s what they reveal about hospital versus non-hospital spending: In other words, hospitals have a shrinking proportion of the health care dollar, but not one that is shrinking very much. Despite…