Price-Fixing Doctor’s Fees?

A California Lawmaker has written a bill to create a government-appointed commission to price-fix physician fees with the intent to control California healthcare costs, improve quality, and increase equity in California’s healthcare system.

Evidence and experience suggests that government price-fixing of physician fees will accomplish none of those things. Healthcare economist and President of Fulcrum Strategies, Ron Howrigon, joins the podcast to analyze this bill and the unintended, and potentially disastrous, consequences to California’s patients, physicians, and hospitals.

About Our Guest

Ron Howrigon is a healthcare economist, and the President and Founder of Fulcrum Strategies. He has held senior management positions with three of the largest managed care companies in the U.S., including Kaiser Permanente, Cigna HealthCare, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Ron is the author of several essays on health economics, and his most recent book: Flatlining: How Healthcare Could Kill the U.S. Economy.