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- Title
Self-pay markets in health care: consumer Nirvana or caveat emptor?
- Authors
Tu, Ha T; May, Jessica H
- Abstract
As consumers face more incentives to make cost-conscious medical care decisions, some policymakers cite self-pay markets as models for consumer shopping. An analysis of the LASIK market revealed limited shopping overall, despite the fact that patients pay the full cost. For other self-pay procedures, consumers shop even less, for reasons ranging from urgency, to costs of obtaining price quotes, to quality concerns that prompt many consumers to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Given that consumer shopping is not prevalent in most self-pay markets, we expect the extent of shopping to be even more limited for many services covered by insurance.
- Publication
Health affairs (Project Hope), 2007, Vol 26, Issue 2, pw217
- ISSN
1544-5208
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1377/hlthaff.26.2.w217