The Conglomerate Of Monopolies

The U.S. health care system is full of inconsistencies, conflicting incentives, and geographic disparities. But that is not surprising given its evolution. Since the first employer-sponsored health insurance and the creation of Medicaid and Medicare over 50 years ago, the system has been driven by competing monopoly players with competing priorities—hospital systems, pharmaceutical companies, physician professional associations, employers, the Federal government/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and health insurance companies.

But will these influencers maintain their control in the health care system? In a recent piece in Forbes, Dr. Robert Pearl has penned an insightful . . .