I mentioned often during the health care - or rather the health insurance - debate that people regard the security of having something there as a positive good, which seems to overwhelm considerations of how good the care is or what the final cost is. Conservatives are dismissive of this, regarding it as people wanting to be taken care of. It's a fair point, but it is also a positive good in that it is one less thing to have to worry about in a world of worries.
The recent Blue Cross Blue Shield radio commercials in this area play to that sentiment. No mention of quality, convenience, cost, or flexibility. Just person after person - young couples with kids, mostly - talking about how secure they feel with BCBS in place.
Why does it seem that promise of payment is more important than promise of care?
ReplyDeleteBecause people assume (a) "the doctor will always be available", and (b) "it will be expensive".
Whether both will remain true for the foreseeable future is in doubt, but people aren't thinking that far ahead. They are thinking about the present.