I heard a story on NPR this morning about how hospitals associated with medical centers have been increasing advertising and marketing themselves more lately. I have always been irritated with hospitals conducting any kind of advertising. I doubt that it helps anyone make an informed decision, and it adds to the cost of medical care for everyone.
I believe in a free market, but the provision of medical care is one exception. Hospitals should not compete with each other. Advertising will not help us to evaluate which doctor or hospital does a better job of treating a particular condition or providing better care overall.
In a previous post, I proposed the idea that we get rid of health insurance and make the provision of medical care a public service, like police and fire protection. If a person wants an opinion on which hospital is best for them, they should talk to their doctor. If they think their doctor is biased because he or she has privileges at a certain hospital, get a second opinion. I do not see how anyone can get useful information about a hospital from a television ad. I also have the impression from seeing advertisements for hospitals that they are pandering to hypochondriacs.
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