Reallocating Medical Treatments and Prevalence

Given the higher costs of Medicare Advantage, with no discernible improvement in the quality of its managed care, there may be many opportunities to cut its services, with little minimal adverse impact on consumers

The money saved could then be allocated where it may provide more efficient benefits:

Advertising expenditures are expanding but better quality care does not come from advertising.

The rise in treatment preference, rather than rising treatment costs, accounts for most of the spending growth

“This person’s life expectancy is only so many years, so this procedure is not worth the cost”

Demonstrates the problems that may arise under single-payer systems without competition

Physicians could not compete for laboratory services and receive lower rates

Obtaining more revenue for the Medicare program does not solve the issue of long-term sustainability until unnecessary spending like the Lahey case is controlled

Medicare puts a price tag on consumer’s health, perhaps even their lives