ABSTRACT
When speaking about healthcare, it may seem like an oxymoron to put the words trade-off and positively together. A trade-off is giving up one thing to gain another. For example, people buy full-size pickup trucks to haul stuff and pull trailers for work, but the gas mileage is much lower than small economy cars. Plus, pickup trucks can cost twice as much. Similarly, investors who wish to save money buy and sell stocks online, but these investors do not get the advice and council of a fullservice stock broker. However, when it comes to their health, few people believe they should compromise-that is, make trade-offs and be satisfied with something less than the “best” care. In addition, a trade-off is a mechanism for allocating scare resources, and many people believe and act as though healthcare is a limitless resource.
