“Prices are set by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield system and no one complains...”
Prices are set by CMS/Medicare and commercial plans typically pay a percentage over Medicare. Costs are high because of regulation, litigation and the third party payer system that covers non-catastrophic expenses. Patients have paid for an ever shrinking percentage of total health care costs over the last 30 years. It stands to reason that if patients paid for most or all of the non-catastrophic costs, costs would come down.
One way to drive down costs would be to require the person seeking health care to carry medical malpractice insurance. In essence, similar to no-fault / no insurance auto policies. Policy would cover the first $100,000 of medical bills.
I certainly agree that a direct connection to the cost of medical care would bring that cost down. But BC/BS has for 75 years “fixed” the price of med care, through its UCR (usual, customary and reasonable) reimbursement system.
Doctors test the UCR by bumping their fees until BC pushes back with UCR. This is fundamentally price fixing and does nothing to restrain costs. BC/BS was created for the auto workers and now covers many other groups...