For centuries, healthcare, regardless of what it looked like at the time, had little to do with profit. Healers and early physicians clearly were not in it to get rich. Much of healthcare provided was done so by religious organizations and charity groups. The rise of an organized hospital system saw all not-for-profit community hospitals as the wealthy were cared for at home. Only the poor went to hospitals as they had no other choices, and money was not to be made from the poor.

…it is the question of for-profit versus not-for-profit health care, not just managed care. It is the question of whether having the health care delivery system become a major profit center for corporate America (the insurance industry) is healthy (in a variety of senses) for America and Americans. It is the issue at the center of virtually every other health care issue related not only to managed care but to the future of the health care delivery system as a whole. – Koop

It is difficult to pinpoint when the great shift occurred toward making the delivery of healthcare a business. More than likely several things happened at once. Regardless, healthcare is a big business today; very, very big business. Profits in big pharma, medical supply, device development, the shift to for-profit hospitals, companies that provide the buildings, transportation, funerals, equipment, technology, insurers, billers, and hundreds of associated supportive needs are nearly all businesses. Profit-making business and it is not likely to change.

Question the Consequences of Healthcare Systems Centered Around Profit

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

· Summarize the forces behind the shift toward healthcare as a business.

· Share if you feel this is good, bad, inevitable, or something that should be dismantled.

· Has the enormous increase in healthcare costs driven by a profits-before-people mentality affected you?

· Discuss alternatives to the for-profit business model.

· Cite any references. Proper grammar, sentence structure, and spelling are required. Use your own words. Copying and pasting are not allowed.