Dear Editor:
I was displeased with the May 7 article, “Doctors push law on clinics in stores.” It is unfortunate that another consumer-driven health care innovation is being demonized by doctors as not providing “quality care.”
Medicaid, Medicare, HMOs, and other third-party payers have not led to better quality of care, but simply increased costs and bureaucracy. By promoting direct payment by consumers, walk-in clinics will strengthen the doctor-patient relationship instead of insulating health care providers from the demands of consumers.
The only way to get quality care is to allow out-of-pocket spending by consumers for routine medical services, instead of mandating involvement by a third-party provider.
James Rottet ([email protected]) is a legislative specialist for The Heartland Institute.