Larry Van Heerden

In the following viewpoint, Larry Van Heerden contends that the managed care system is unnecessary and expensive. Because managed care requires only a token copayment, it removes the patient’s incentive to economize, Van Heerden argues. In addition, he maintains that because managed care measures the effectiveness of health care delivery, not the effectiveness of individual physicians, HMOs make it impossible for patients to choose the best doctor for their health care dollar. Larry Van Heerden is the author of the website Free Market Medicine.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Larry Van Heerden, what is the central tenet of managed care?
2. How should health care be treated, according to the author?
3. In Van Heerden’s opinion, what should doctors be able...