Mass. Commission Calls for Rationing via HMOs and Global Budgets; the state cuts subsidies
A special commission designed to evaluate the Massachusetts Health Plan says costs cannot be controlled without European-style global budgets and HMO-type medical care. Primary care doctors should be given $8,000 per patient and then allowed to decide which patients get which care. Markets don’t work and can’t work in health care, the report says. Meanwhile, the state is cutting premium subsidies for needy residents by 12%.
I was sure we would eventually get around to this.
Typical of the intellectual bankruptcy that characterizes the solutions proposed by people in favor of government controlled health care.
Rather than give the $8,000 to the individual so he can buy the care he wants, the Commission can’t see any way other than to take the money from individuals and give it to politically powerful producers–most of the Connector Authority health plans are similar to HMOs. The $8,000 would go to the capitated care plan, not a physician working for a patient.
We’ve seen this movie already. It’s called Medicaid managed care. It doesn’t work very well. In fact, the State of Colorado’s Medicaid agency has officially admitted that it costs more to run than standard fee-for-service.
It’s the people’s republic of Massachusetts.
Unfortunately, this is where the whole country is going.
[…] Mass. Commission Calls for Rationing via HMOs and Global Budgets; the state cuts subsidies […]