The market inefficiency of allocating physicians to high-income specialties at the expense of more important primary care, the Kabuki dance between insurers' attempts to reduce costs and physicians' attempts to maintain income, and the increased caseloads necessary for doctors to cover their ever-increasing costs have led to assembly-line medicine.
Those seeking medical care have become profit centers rather than patients, just like customers in any other business.
Until the delivery of medical care is rethought and properly organized, not just tweaked around the edges to avoid admitting the failure of the free market, the situation will only get worse.
Thomas G. Pinter, Lutherville
'Concierge' model offers a free-market solution
The Maryland insurance commissioner's idea that the state might regulate "concierge" medical practices threatens to cause a gross violation of individual rights ("Md. ponders regulation of 'concierge' medicine," Dec. 20).
Patients and physicians have the absolute right to voluntarily contract for medical services in a free market.
Under the concierge medicine model, physicians can spend more time with their patients and practice according to their best medical conscience, for reasonable reimbursement. Patients receive improved quality care for a fair price. It is truly a "win-win" situation.
Instead of further government controls over medicine (such as "universal health care") that harm physicians and patients alike, America needs more such free-market reforms.
Otherwise, we'll all pay the price.
Dr. Paul Hsieh, Sedalia, Colo.
The writer is co-founder of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine.
Obama's pastors belie liberal image
What is it with President-elect Barack Obama? For 20 years he aligned himself with an anti-Semitic preacher (the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.) and now he chooses Pastor Rick Warren, an overtly anti-gay preacher, to deliver the inaugural benediction, alienating a large portion of the population.
Who says Mr. Obama is a liberal?
Geraldine Segal, Randallstown
