I think the next “big” group to “quit” will be scores of doctors.
I agree. I fear that, too. Now that I am 65, and on Medicare...although not by choice...I am afraid that no doctor in town will take Medicare patients. I do have a very good insurance policy that I kept from my working days, but if that plan goes away in a year or two, I would not be able to afford what I have now.
“I think the next “big” group to “quit” will be scores of doctors.”
In our area, many MDs started opting out this year. Both newer docs and established docs.
New MDs faced with the math of how to keep their offices open, pay the salaries for their staff, pay off their med school debts and have a decent life style have gone to Kaiser.
Many MDs in their 40’s to 50’s have gone to concierge medicine or will be in it as of 1 Jan 2014. In their new life, there will be no insurance acceptance nor billing. Flat yearly fees in advance for a year or quarterly. The average yearly fees are running from $2400 per year to $3600.
One new concierge doc in this area, a woman has apparently filled her new 2014 concierge practice and is charging $2,000 per month. We have been hearing about similar yearly costs in the Stanford area, Silicon Valley, high rent areas like the Gay Frisco Area, marvelous Marin and East Bay.
Some, older MDs, just said to heck with it and have closed their offices or will be ending their practices this month. Many of those leaving the area, have taken advantage of the recent surges in the prices of homes in this area and sold their homes. Then, they left the area with few people, if anyone knowing that they had moved and left the area.
The impact of the docs who have left and those who will be leaving between now and 1 Jan 2014 is unknown.
A two man practice with a full time FP, a senior part time FP, and a full time PA, closed this summer. This practice had a little over 6000 active patients. Active = patients seen in the last year.
The long time RN and receptionist from that office are still running into people complaining that they can’t phone the office to get an appt.. Apparently, those people didn’t read the two letters they got re the practice being closed, one letter from the two docs & PA and one from their group. This area goes through an epidemic of wellness from July until about now. So the impact of the two docs no longer there will be get more severe each day from now on until next summer.