The commodification of health is a process that occurs when the medical industry attempts to monetize the entire experience of healthcare. This occurs when medical professionals, such as doctors, increase the profitability of their businesses by offering a service that can be purchased on an individual basis, rather than through a healthcare system or insurance provider. Common examples of this include the development and implementation of a CPT (comparable care transaction) program, where doctors agree to provide a certain level of treatment for a price agreed upon between them and a patient. Although the medical industry has attempted to implement many types of CPT programs over the past decade or so, the commodification of health continues to grow as companies realize that they can easily and inexpensively provide health services that can be purchased directly by consumers.
The commodification of health care: refers to the idea that a person can purchase health services from a physician or other provider at the point of service. This is the essence of a free market for health care, where consumers are able to choose the physician group that they feel most comfortable with. However, in the past few years, the medical industry has acknowledged that the commodification of health needs to be controlled, in order to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the healthcare system. The increased profitability brought about by the commodification of health care is the main driving force behind efforts to introduce market-based solutions to the commodification of health.
For example, in the early 1990s, health insurance: companies began to offer a “fee for service” option to hospitals. Under this plan, the insurance company would pay the hospital whatever it cost to provide the services, whether it was an extra bill for an unnecessary test or the actual bill for the medical procedure. This approach was a huge success, because it created competition between health care providers, which drove down the cost of healthcare to the consumer. This fee for service concept has since spread throughout the American medical system and is now being used in a number of different ways.
One of these methods is Health Maintenance Organizations: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) allow the insured to choose a primary care physician, although hospitals are not forced to see them. Members of HMOs are required to use the doctors recommended by their primary care physicians, and are subject to a standard monthly fee for all medical procedures and services. While this method does allow some providers to skirt around the higher cost of medical care, it does little to prevent the commodification of health. As noted above, the market-based solution is the driving force behind many healthcare improvements, including the development of health management information systems (HIMS), and market-based payment programs like the Medical Savings Plan (MSP) and the fee for service (FFS).
Another way that the commodification of health: is occurring is through the creation of health products. Perhaps the most well-known example of the commodification of health is the creation of the iPod, a music device that is designed to deliver music oral style. The commercialization of health has even extended to the types of drugs and medical devices that can be bought. There are entire lines of products available targeted towards the alleviation of common ailments. While some people may balk at the thought of the commodification of health through drugs and medical products, the vast majority of the world’s population believes that this type of product promotion produces better health and a happier populace.
The commodification of healthcare also extends to the practice of medicine itself: While medical practices have come a long way over the past century, the “booster shots” that many children receive in the doctor’s office have done little to curb childhood obesity rates, and are often used for nothing more than a “band-aid” treatment. While there is nothing wrong with promoting a healthy lifestyle through medical intervention, it is important that the public understand that this does not mean that they should hand their money over to any and all doctors, regardless of how good they are.
The commodification of healthcare is not intended to hand healthcare over to the best, rather to promote a healthier lifestyle and an increase in health consciousness.
