Hoisted from the comments: health care is like managing nuclear power plant safety

Pat S  writes,

[Health care decisions are] not like the decisions that auto owners make about how and how often to change their oil. [Putting consumers in charge of health decisions] is more similar to giving electrical power customers the decision as to how much and when to spend on safety for nuclear power plants. The information is just as esoteric, even more fraught with emotional and physical danger, and just as likely to elicit wildly varying reactions depending on the immediate setting and perceived risks of the moment.