HSAs, Favored by McCain, Grow in Number—Slowly

Modern American medical professionals LOVE the best of the new MRI scan machines. They can provide 64-slice images for some of the best (so far) known tools for early diagnoses of cancerous tumors, for instance, at a time when treatment is most life-effective and cost-effective. The machines cost millions, often owned by doctors, and must be "used a lot" to pay for themselves. A physician proceeding from the safety of the best MRI is also one perhaps most safe from allegations of malpractice. So, doctors order expensive tests. Hard to blame them.

If my wife goes to the doctor with a pain and he orders the MRI, am I a "medical spendthrift" if I go along with it? Am I supposed to tell my wife, "Now, honey, this thousand-dollar test is on our own dime in the HSA, so maybe we'd better just defy that doctor's recommendation and ask him about Celebrex for the pain instead---like on TV ad----you "probably" don't have anything bad anyway"?

Consumer-driven medical plans and the HSA models are chock-full of precisely those kinds of dilemnas, recommended to you by Republicans as the wonderful option of having "choices". HSA's in general, are fine for the wealthy, and nice tax shelters, too. For everyone else, not so much. McCain also is fine for the wealthy.

and again, for everyone else, not so much.

Daniel David of NM 11:58AM May 02, 2008