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It will be extremely difficult for our healthcare system to be truly preventative in its current form.  There is a huge misalignment of incentives that keeps it from directing money towards prevention.  Hospitals and practitioners do not make money when people are well, except in a capitated system such as Kaiser. They only make money when people are sick, so they direct their resources towards diagnosing and treating disease, rather than promoting health.

Although I recognize that the government is not always the most efficient, we need a single payer system that focuses on evidence-based prevention strategies and includes alternative care.  Only in a single payer system will the incentive be to prevent disease and promote health.   If all the money goes into one pot, and practitioners are salaried employees, there won't be the incentive to focus on disease and procedures. 

Jack

RN

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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