Susan Burden

Would you ignore a smoking car until it needed to be towed to a shop? Or wait until leaking pipes flooded your house before contacting a contractor? If you did, you’d expect to pay a heavy premium to repair what’s likely become major damage—usually much more than the cost of simple maintenance. But for most Americans, this is exactly what we do when it comes to our health. Up to now, this approach has been mindboggling for policy makers and healthcare providers.