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We need to reexamine the financial health of our healthcare system and the enormous medical debt burden it places on upwards of 100 million Americans and our government. Rising pharmaceutical prices, expansion of the Medicare Advantage system that now costs more than traditional Medicare, and shortages of life-saving generics due to their low profitability compared to on-patent drugs are just a few of the trends driving this crisis.
In the 1987 movie “Wall Street,” Gordon Gekko said, “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed – for lack of a better word – is good.”
Not in healthcare. Too many people lack quality care, and clinicians burn out while healthcare companies reap huge profits. Capitalism and free markets are excellent economic tools, but they are also dangerous without the proper guardrails to ensure financial incentives work toward the greater good.
We have adequate guardrails in banking and consumer goods that protect consumers while generating company profits. We must take steps to fix the perverse incentives in healthcare so that the miracles our doctors deliver to patients daily can continue.
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