How to Empower Health-care Consumers

Published in Business Week on November 20, 2000

Most health-maintenance organizations do such a poor job that concerned employers may well try contracting with doctors or otherwise getting directly involved in meeting workers' health-care needs ("What comes after managed care?" Social Issues, Oct. 23). Well-run companies venture outside their core business only reluctantly but find that such employee advocacy can pay off in happy, productive workers.

Unfortunately, many employers who sponsor health benefits are unwilling or unable to devote the necessary resources to the task. The losers -- mostly small businesses and public-sector employees, but also some at large companies -- lack an effective program at work but can't buy health services on their own without losing the tax break for job-based benefits.

Why stop at cuuting out managed-care intermediaries? Providing equal tax treatment for privately purchased health services would empower health-care consumers, give workers more choices, and relieve employers of a burden many would gladly relinquish.

Thomas Campbell Jackson
Institute for SocioEconomic Studies
White Plains, NY