ABSTRACT
As patients, the people need to approach the purchase of healthcare services in the same way that they purchase any other service, whether the people have an HSA or not. Corrective eye surgery cost approximately $8,000 15 years ago. LASIK surgery, using newer laser technology, has improved patient outcomes, reduced recovery time, and now costs approximately $2,000 per eye. Efforts to report outcomes and increasing focus on transparency in healthcare will enable consumers and independent groups to make informed choices. The increasing numbers of consumers with high-deductible health plans are slowly beginning to behave like consumers-just like Michael did with the small lump in the palm of his hand. If deductibles force consumers to confront costs at the low end of their healthcare expenditures, reference pricing for selected procedures forces a focus on expenditures at the high end.
