Did you konw that cosmetic surgery inflation is far less than in the third-party-payor market?

According to Devon Herrick, PhD of the National Center for Policy Analysis, the inflation adjusted price of cosmetic surgery had decreased since 1992, while quality has improved.  Patients pay directly.  There are few barriers to entry and doctors rush to fill the demand.  While emergency cardiac care is different in that patients cannot shop for the cheapest price, only $1 out of $20 is spent on patients who enter through the emergency room door.  For most medical care, the only difference is that cosmetic surgery has a competitive market and transparent prices paid by the customer, and "insurance"-paid care does not.  Direct pay for a CT scan can reduce the price by 85%.  From AAPS News vol 69, no 9, Sept 2013