DrNY saidAre the doctors less competent??? Nope...its just one of those things.
Depends how you look at it. Less competent in interpreting physical exams? Yes. Less competent in overall diagnosis? No. In fact, newer generation physicians will almost certainly be able to provide
better care through technology. However, because of this, there are going to be many areas where mediocre physicians rely on technology to provide marginally better care at 8 times the cost.
Bottom line: lab tests are a double edged sword.
DrNY said... a simple x-ray (which is free w/ insurance and about 60 dollars without)
Nothing from an insurance company is ever free. They just hide costs. That's part of the reason healthcare is so expensive.
I'm still waiting for someone to explain why everyone should have comprehensive insurance to cover the
expected medical costs. If my house was hit by a tornado every year, I don't think I would be too worried about tornado insurance... Fire and flood maybe, but why would I want to automatically lose 30% of my money on an expected occurrence?
Sorry about the tangent.