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Re: “A smart plan to pay doctors for quality,” April 15 Peter Orszag column.
Peter Orszag is wrong to urge the Senate to pass the doctor payment revision bill without some amendments.
There are numerous, respected studies that conclude that deductibles lower the quality of care. If people are willing to pay the extra fees associated with no-deductible supplemental insurance, they should be able to make that decision without government interference.
For example, several friends were diagnosed with a form of blood cancer. In the distant past, this diagnosis was considered terminal. Today, due to medical advances, this form of cancer is manageable. These friends live on a modest, fixed income. The treatments are very expensive, and if they had to pay the deductibles, they would have had to forego treatment, resulting in premature death.
Having no deductible does not provide an incentive to pursue unnecessary care.
Donald Parrot, Parker
This letter was published in the April 21 edition.
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