Season 2, Episode 10: Buyer Beware

The phrase “caveat emptor” comes from Latin and means “let the buyer beware.” It originated as a legal principle in ancient Rome. Before the Industrial Revolution, caveat emptor became the common law for most land sales and purchases. It is based on the idea that buyers usually have less information about the product than the seller. In healthcare, the patient as a consumer of healthcare always seems to be at a disadvantage for information from those selling services, whether they be insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, etc. On this episode, we’ll hear from callers who feel ill informed, betrayed, and hoodwinked by a system cloaked in jargon and complexity.