Unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to unethical treatment. More and more patients get certain treatments or recommendations by doctors or hospitals not because they need them but because they're profitable for the doctors or hospitals.
This is the insurance/financial product salesman's spirit at work, and it needs to be stopped. Right now.
I think part of the problem is the "insurance" mentality - if you don't pay for the treatment yourself, but the insurance just pays for everything, you aren't interested in an economical solution (and maybe the minimally-invasive treatment), but you take what's recommended. If you have to pay for treatment yourself, you begin asking questions. (Disclaimer: I live in Germany, a country with "free" health insurance, which I pay for with an effective 15% tax on my income.)
Unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to unethical treatment. More and more patients get certain treatments or recommendations by doctors or hospitals not because they need them but because they're profitable for the doctors or hospitals.
This is the insurance/financial product salesman's spirit at work, and it needs to be stopped. Right now.
I think part of the problem is the "insurance" mentality - if you don't pay for the treatment yourself, but the insurance just pays for everything, you aren't interested in an economical solution (and maybe the minimally-invasive treatment), but you take what's recommended. If you have to pay for treatment yourself, you begin asking questions. (Disclaimer: I live in Germany, a country with "free" health insurance, which I pay for with an effective 15% tax on my income.)