the primary cause of excessive medical expenditures is the Medicare reimbursement system, which discourages providers from cutting expenses in order to remain competitive and makes it extremely rare for private insurance to pay out at amounts less than Medicare. Certain providers both domestically and internationally are experimenting with a more direct method of patient payment for primary care: patients pay the clinic a monthly charge in the same way they would pay a premium, and they pay for appointments and procedures directly. However, the United States currently operates under a "deeply irrational system of pricing that drives things towards the more expensive