Policy analysis demonstrates increased health care costs from restrictions on physician dual fee schedules, suggesting that flexible cash pricing promotes affordability.
Key Points
To examine how state and federal regulatory restrictions on physician dual fee schedules and cash-based pricing contribute to rising health care expenditures.
Evaluated state and federal regulatory frameworks governing physician billing and restrictions on dual fee schedules.
Assessed health policy mechanisms linking limits on direct-pay cash pricing to aggregate health care expenditures.
Identified regulatory barriers that prevent physicians from discounting cash prices below contracted commercial insurance rates.
Found that restricting dual fee schedules suppresses market price competition and directly drives higher overall health care costs.