This means that they are paid a flat monthly fee for taking care of you. This translates to the less they spend on medical services, the more profit they make. These skewed incentives result in patients having to fight to get the care they need. Finally, markets only function when consumers have real choices. But dissatisfied consumers have few options.
Most employers offer employees very few health plans.
Because consumers lack the option of leaving a health plan they dislike for one that better serves their needs, there is not a free market in health plans. Moreover, the notion of consumer protections is consistent with our conception of free markets. Think, for a moment, of buying an automobile. Federal laws ensure that new cars have horns, brakes, and headlights. The same notion of basic protections and standards should apply to health plans.