Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Possible Future of Health Care in America

No insurance.  Cash on the barrel.  Cheaper, better health care.

Dr. Michael Ciampi took a step this spring that many of his fellow physicians would describe as radical.

The family physician stopped accepting all forms of health insurance. In early 2013, Ciampi sent a letter to his patients informing them that he would no longer accept any kind of health coverage, both private and government-sponsored. Given that he was now asking patients to pay for his services out of pocket, he posted his prices on the practice’s website.

The change took effect April 1.

(.....)

But the decision to do away with insurance allows Ciampi to practice medicine the way he sees fit, he said. Insurance companies no longer dictate how much he charges. He can offer discounts to patients struggling with their medical bills. He can make house calls.

“I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients,” Ciampi said. “If I’m providing them a service that they value, they can pay me, and we cut the insurance out as the middleman and cut out a lot of the expense.”
If people actually knew what their health care cost, and how much insurance pays the doctors, and how much of a financial burden insurance and government regulations are to the health care industry, they might just begin to understand what's wrong with the health care system in this country.  I expect a lot more doctors to go this route and Obamacare begins to destroy the current health care system.  As more doctors practice under the bootheel of the government, more and more of them are going to try to find a way out.

More power to 'em. 

1 comment:

Gerry N. said...

I'm 68 and my teeth have been crumbling. I also have no 'dental coverage". So I've been going to a damn good Dentist on a cash and carry basis. He tells me how much a procedure is going to cost, and I tell him how much I have to spend. I have a monthly standing appointment. So far we are "square" with each other. He charges me around 30% of "Usual and Customary" which the Insurance thieves base payment on. So a simple extraction which is priced at $150 costs me $50.00 cash. I asked and he told me he is making pretty good money on my trade and appreciates it as well. Four or five more appointments and I'll be good for another fifteen or twenty years. Or the rest of my life, whichever happens first. I point out to my few remaining libtard friends that insurance does not equal health care. Some are actually beginning to understand that point.

Gerry N.