Many United States companies believe that the rising cost

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Many United States companies believe that the rising cost of employees' health care benefits has hurt the country's competitive position in the global market by raising production costs and thus increasing the prices of exported and domestically sold goods. As a result, these companies have shifted health care costs to employees in the form of wage deductions or high deductibles. This strategy, however, has actually hindered companies' competitiveness. For example, cost shifting threatens employees' health because many do not seek preventive screening. Also, labor relations have been damaged: the percentage of strikes in which health benefits were a major issue rose from 18 percent in 1986 to 78 percent in 1989. Health care costs can be managed more effectively if companies intervene in the supply side of health care delivery just as they do with other key suppliers: strategies used to procure components necessary for production would work in procuring health care. For example, the make/buy decision-the decision whether to produce or purchase parts used in making a product-can be applied to health care. At one company, for example, employees receive health care at an on-site clinic maintained by the company. The clinic fosters morale, resulting in a low rate of employees leaving the company. Additionally, the company has constrained the growth of health care costs while expanding medical services.

Which of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the author's view about
intervening on the supply side of health care?
(A) Most companies do not have enough employees to make on-site clinics cost-effective.
(B) Many companies with on-site clinics offer their employees the option of going outside the
company's system to obtain health care.
(C) The costs of establishing and running an on-site clinic are demonstrably higher than the costs of paying for health care from an outside provider.
(D) Companies with health care clinics find that employees are unwilling to assist in controlling the costs of health care.
(E) Employees at companies with on-site clinics seek preventive screening and are thus less likely to delay medical treatment.

OA is E. But i chose B.

The reason I chose the answer is the option has the same idea of the the make/buy decision. i.e. either make your own clinic and provide medical to the employees or offer the employees to go out to seek medical treatment. Preventative screening is mentioned far away and I cant really connect to the answer.

Please justify why is B wrong and why is E the OA.
Source: — Reading Comprehension |

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by justharsha » Fri Aug 02, 2013 10:24 am
The Q is to choose to answer which provides most support to author's view. The author's view is that, in order to reduce the costs of healthcare it is better to intervene on the supply side of things instead of passing on the costs to the customer(employees). Passing on costs (ex: igh deductibles) discourages employees from taking preventative examinations which in turn reeults in greater costs for the company.
Just as a company would rather manufacture a component for one of its products if manufacturing is cheaper than buying that component from a third party supplier, providing healthcare via an in-house clinic will keep the costs low to the company(encourages employees to take preventative exams) and also improves morale of the employees.

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by vinay1983 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:34 am
melguy wrote:Many United States companies believe that the rising cost of employees' health care benefits has hurt the country's competitive position in the global market by raising production costs and thus increasing the prices of exported and domestically sold goods. As a result, these companies have shifted health care costs to employees in the form of wage deductions or high deductibles. This strategy, however, has actually hindered companies' competitiveness. For example, cost shifting threatens employees' health because many do not seek preventive screening. Also, labor relations have been damaged: the percentage of strikes in which health benefits were a major issue rose from 18 percent in 1986 to 78 percent in 1989. Health care costs can be managed more effectively if companies intervene in the supply side of health care delivery just as they do with other key suppliers: strategies used to procure components necessary for production would work in procuring health care. For example, the make/buy decision-the decision whether to produce or purchase parts used in making a product-can be applied to health care. At one company, for example, employees receive health care at an on-site clinic maintained by the company. The clinic fosters morale, resulting in a low rate of employees leaving the company. Additionally, the company has constrained the growth of health care costs while expanding medical services.

Which of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the author's view about
intervening on the supply side of health care?
(A) Most companies do not have enough employees to make on-site clinics cost-effective.
(B) Many companies with on-site clinics offer their employees the option of going outside the
company's system to obtain health care.
(C) The costs of establishing and running an on-site clinic are demonstrably higher than the costs of paying for health care from an outside provider.
(D) Companies with health care clinics find that employees are unwilling to assist in controlling the costs of health care.
(E) Employees at companies with on-site clinics seek preventive screening and are thus less likely to delay medical treatment.

OA is E. But i chose B.

The reason I chose the answer is the option has the same idea of the the make/buy decision. i.e. either make your own clinic and provide medical to the employees or offer the employees to go out to seek medical treatment. Preventative screening is mentioned far away and I cant really connect to the answer.

Please justify why is B wrong and why is E the OA.
On the first go it is bit confusing.
But there are lot of deviations the passage uses to confuse us. Let us understand that the company says "that many do not seek preventive screening" thus cost shifting would hinder such employees. On site clinics on the other hand tends to make an employee avail the preventive screening, such that health issues if any are detected, then there are more chances of preventing or curing them at the initial stage instead of allowing such health issues to assume enormous proportions.

B says that even though on site clinics are available employees will go outside. This defeats the purpose of on site clinics.

I hope it helps!