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Does co-insurance help with this problem? e.g. if the patient is responsible for 10% of the cost of the pills, then the patient is motivated to choose the cheaper pills without the need for a long bureaucratic process with the insurance company, and the doctor just has to present both options

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Healthcare costs for advanced procedures and medicine and equipment are so high that the amount 90% of people can afford to pay is inconsequential to the whole cost, hence the use of insurance companies (which are not just selling insurance, but acting as the healthcare recipient’s agent in negotiating prices and appropriate levels of healthcare, ideally). Obviously, the reality leaves much to be desired.

But that is the purpose of high deductible health plans, to give healthcare recipients an incentive to to visit cheaper healthcare providers or accept generic medicines.

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