Simple Fix for Healthcare: Give Patients More Responsibility

Health costs have been rising at an astounding rate. Insurers believe that overuse of medical care and poor individual health habits are big reasons why, according to a new study from insurance advisory firm Willis Towers Watson.

That conclusion runs counter to the narrative common among progressives that patients are hapless victims of a profit-driven health care system. There's plenty of evidence showing that individual choices deserve more of the blame for the steady rise in U.S. health costs.

Critics of the U.S. system often complain that, despite spending more than any...