LOOKING TO SAVE, STATE EYES NEW WAY TO PAY DOCTORS, HOSPITALS
Patients' care would be compromised
ADOPTING A system to pay doctors and hospitals a single, yearly fee for each patient is neither bold nor experimental. It's just another variation of capitation: a system that would lead to the government rationing and ultimately compromising patient care.
Before making another costly healthcare mistake, Beacon Hill lawmakers should ask themselves how they would react if their doctor said, "We've already spent your annual healthcare allowance, and anything else we could do to treat your condition would put us deeper in the red." My guess is that it would only take one really sick lawmaker (or governor) to realize the error of their ways.
Scott Keays
Allston 