ABSTRACT
The insertion of cost into discussion is important due to the goals of this chapter as they relate to population health management (PHM) and the goals of capacity management as a support mechanism to PHM. This chapter considers the cost of waste, "defensive medicine," and unnecessary procedures as costing hundreds of billions of dollars. Making matters worse are the perverse incentives built into the US healthcare system. Insurance largely picks up the tab when lifestyle, diet, and personal care choices create disease, injury, pregnancy, and poor health outcomes. Health ownership, then, is a critical concept to the financial, social, and spiritual benefits of PHM. The chapter argues that, even with "universal coverage" available, people make choices to avoid paying for healthcare insurance and coverage against disease and accidents. Only personal responsibility and the ownership of one's health will drive the population toward a higher "plane" of population health and the ability to consistently manage it.
