[JAMA Article] Doctors Unwillingly Promoted to Bill Collectors as Healthcare Affordability Concerns Persist

High healthcare costs in the United States are impacting all facets of the industry. A recent article, published in JAMA, highlights the evolving role of doctors and healthcare systems as bill collectors. This practice leads to widespread confusion and frustration without addressing the underlying issue of rising medical costs.

“[D]octors taking on the role as bill collectors are “destined for failure. But consumers, on the demand side of this equation, continue to want to discuss health care costs with their physicians. The bottom-line for doctors is that they have been compelled to collect, “sometimes hundreds of dollars directly from patients, often months after care has been delivered,” the JAMA authors observe, given the design of high-deductible health plans.” Read more here.

(Source: Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, Health Populi, 8/2/21)