Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 25, no. 6 (2006): w537-w539 (Published online 24 October 2006) doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.w537 © 2006 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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PERSPECTIVE

Rearranging The Deck Chairs

Marjorie Ginsburg

In their efforts to make insurance premiums more affordable, employers and health plans are promoting consumer-directed health care as a consumer-friendly alternative that will cut costs and improve quality. In my view, consumer-directed care reflects health care providers’ failure to deliver value and unrealistically assumes that consumers can make sound, cost-effective medical decisions. It also evades the fundamental question of how society defines the limits and obligations of health insurance, and it could stall meaningful action to hold all stakeholders accountable for an equitable, high-quality, and affordable system.

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