Posted on 06/15/2013 6:25:26 PM PDT by grundle
"The paperwork, the hassles, it just got to be overwhelming," Nunamaker said. "We knew that we had to find a better way to practice."
So Nunamaker and his partner set up a membership-based practice called Atlas M.D. -- a nod to free-market champion Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged.
By cutting out the middleman, Nunamaker said he can get a cholesterol test done for $3, versus the $90 the lab company he works with once billed to insurance carriers. An MRI can be had for $400, compared to a typical billed rate of $2,000 or more.
Nunamaker encourages his patients to carry some type of high-deductible health insurance plan in case of an emergency or serious illness. But for the everyday stuff, he said his plan works better for both doctor and patient.
"It would be like if car insurance paid for gas, oil and tires," he said. "It would be very expensive, and you'd have to get pre-approval for a trip out of town."
Kevin Petersen, a Las Vegas-based general surgeon, stopped taking insurance in 2005. Petersen named the same reasons as Nunamaker: too much paperwork and overhead, declining payments from insurance companies, and a general loss of control.
"The insurance industry took over my practice," he said. "They were telling me what procedures I could do, who I could treat -- I basically became their employee."
Now Petersen does hernia operations for $5,000 a pop, which includes anesthesia, operating room time and follow-up visits. He negotiates special rates for the anesthesiologist and the operating room, and is able to provide the service for about a third of what a patient might pay otherwise.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Well say they do 20 tests a day at $2000 a test and a machine costs $1 million. It is paid for pretty quick. But just to make sure a box of tissues is $50 and a couple of Tylenol are $10 apiece.
My niece doesn’t remember, even though it was late last year. wierd.
Anyway, I am pretty sure it was this place:
http://www.spinewellnessclinic.com/
Like I said, my sister explained the situation (no insurance) about her daughter (17) and they offered to do this after regular hours for that price.
Maybe begging helps. lol.
No doubt in my mind. Of course, that's why They want to insert government even further into things.
I bet any under-30 FReepers reading what I've said on this thread are scratching their heads and worrying that I've been seeing "substandard" care providers. After all, how can doctors and patients negotiate prices themselves? It (i.e., the free market) is unheard of!
He is just doing GP stuff. So if I need my high blood pressure pills he charges me $20 for a phone in prescription and I send him a check. Don’t have to make the drive that would cost me $15 in gas. Don’t have to shell out $100 (at the clinic) to see a PA.
You will never get that service from Leviathan Care
Relax there my friend, cause and effect, cause and effect. This will be the norm in the not to distant future. Home grown, the way it’s always been.
Fed’s stop it? yeah, just like they’ll take all our guns.
My grandfather was a "country doctor". His "territory" was a small town in Oklahoma and the surrounding farms.
Initially, he served them from a horse and buggy -- forded a flooding river once to deliver a child.
That's what he did, he delivered babies, he cared for their childhood afflictions, he set their bones and mended their wounds, he saw their parents into old age and comforted them in their last hours.
He was compensated by eggs, fresh garden vegetables, live chickens, a cured ham, an occasional side of beef and, every now and then, some cash.
He was proud of his profession. And never complained about his lot.
Then he should have responded by treating ONLY cash patients.
Yes. Their in-house system became Kaiser Permanente.
Thank You! I will look at that site and then I will try begging if I have to. :-)
ive done some whining at the medicos whining helps too
Its about time.
I think a few factors combine to make the prices higher when using insurance.
You are paying for the people at the doctor's office to fill out the paperwork.
You're also paying for everyone who works for the insurance company to process the paperwork, check prices against the master list to see if the claimed price is allowed, and pay or refuse the claims.
Last, unlike most insurance, medical insurance doesn't just cover unusual expenses; it covers everything. I saw medical insurance once described as "an expensive pre-paid medical plan", which is pretty accurate. One way to keep costs down is to shift the responsibility for paying back to the patient.
I just paid $46,000, as my portion of the bill including hospital for a hernia operation... This is about double what I paid two years ago... sheeesh
“Not me. As soon as there’s a “registry”, these guys will be in jail.”
It’s illegal?
To bill the $3 in a manner the insurer will pay including justifications, coding, and time office staff has to work to get actual payment the bill to the insurance might be $90 but that doesn't mean the doctor gets that nor for that matter even paid at all.
Insurers especially HMO's and newly added paper work mandates by the feds have driven cost to the roof. I noticed Thursday when I got a physical the doctors exam time was about 20 minutes. His time afterward on the computer was another 15-20 minutes because government and insurers thinks they have a right to know every aspect of his work and your treatment. Last year our doctor didn't have to do this. Then you have some pencil pushing Nerd sitting in the insurance compaines claims processing office who will wiz his pants in delight when he finds a slight coding error and can deny the claim making the doctors office staff refile.
Who is the driving corporate interest backing Obamacare? You need to look no further than the health care insurance companies. Insurers take extra measures to deny, delay, or reduce payments for services rendered. In 1970 most doctors only needed a part time billing clerk even to handle Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance claims. Then came St Teddy The Swimmers HMO ACT of 1973. That was the beginning of the end of affordable private insurance and the beginning of health care rationing. Most HMO's are owned by big name private insueres.
My doctor is concierge. She has annual yearly membership fees, for single, couple and family. I love it. I can get an appt with ease, if I have a question or problem I can call and she returns the call. I get a superbill and send it into my secondary since medicare will not honor it. My doctor does not take any ins. And she carries a patient load of 200. I will keep this physician as long as I can afford it. She will bill her membership fee monthly if that is what works for you.
Search concierge care or medicine in your area.
There are some fairly substantial operating costs too. MR techs make a nice salary and there are significant bills for power and service.
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