Posted on 08/23/2013 1:23:49 PM PDT by NCjim
Physicians across the country are attending seminars that teach doctors how to start their own direct primary care practices. Direct primary care practices take no health insurance, only cash. In a recent survey conducted by the DPMA Foundation, 2 out of 3 doctors say they are “just squeaking by or in the red,” and 83% say they are “thinking about quitting the business.” With the looming threat of Obamacare, many doctors are planning to ditch the traditional business model for a more simple and straightforward one.
Dr. Jerome Aya-Ay from Palmetto Proactive healthcare in South Carolina uses the “Direct primary care,” model which is successful because it eliminates the bureaucratic hassle of insurance and lowers prices for the consumer.
Dr. Jerome Aya-Ay charges his patients via a price list similar to a restaurant menu. He also charges a monthly fee of $60 for routine services which most doctors cannot do. Listen to the interview below.
Chiropractors have been using the cash only business model for many years and are experiencing great success. Dr. Scott Baker, owner of Upper Cervical of Spartanburg, S.C. said, “We started to go 100% cash in May 2012 and are experiencing great success, now we are moving into a state of the art facility 3 times bigger than our current venue, and we will be hiring a new doctor.” Dr. Scott said he is creating a patient-driven practice. His new clinic will have a “health-spa feel” with digital touch screens for patient check-ins, flat screens TVs, and a paperless office so he can have more time to focus on his patients.
The Heritage Foundation’s Ed Haislmaier said, “I think we are going to see primary care doctors increasingly moving to a cash-only arrangement, where they opt out of insurance rules.” The simple truth is that doctors want to get off the insurance grid not only because of the risky regulations and economic factors, but because they want better relationships with their patients.
Dr. Tom Kendall of Greenville, S.C., a practicing physician and the president of the Association of American Surgeons and Physicians said, “Obamacare is not about healthcare, it’s about control. Obamacare puts the relationship of the patient and physician under the jurisdiction of the government. This means more government control and less patient choice. Under Obamacare, healthcare will be rationed, healthcare costs will increase, and bureaucrats will decide medical treatments instead of the physician and patient.”
Upstate doctors who are moving to a direct primary care are creating win-win solutions for medical professionals and their patients. It would be a move from a bureaucracy-driven model which is enamored with red tape and creates a wedge between the doctor and patient, to a patient-driven model with no insurance interference, less government intrusions, and no wasted time dealing with paperwork. It is a model that will create lower fees for patients and will allow doctors to foster better relationships with patients. The real solution to healthcare is to give patients more control over their health care dollars, and unchain doctors from the shackles of government control and regulations.
I would assume the government will not tolerate cash for pay medical services and will demand that they serve anyone who walks in and demands it
The problem is that the patient will still have to purchase insurance. So now you have to pay cash for a doctor and also have to have insurance which you can not use.
FUBO
Next up - Obama making all doctors part of the government and therefor can’t close their business.
and if you pay in cash the price is a lot lower apparently
Is the government going to pay the bills and the rent? If not then the doctors can just make sure to let those lapse.
The building will be owned by the gov’t under OBamacare.
My excellent dermatologist told me they would probably have to close the entire operation come ObamaCare implementation.
He is president of the largest medical provider in the city. Hundreds of docs, hospitals, etc. He would just go into private practice. And probably take cash only.
If I need anything done, I should probably get it done by the end of this year, and you should too. Any possible upcoming surgery for the foreseeable future, any condition that might possibly escalate, any health problem that might come up....take care of it NOW.
My doc just told me he is closing shop. new regulations...
I have been telling my wife, look for cash only clinics just across the border in Mexico in the not too distant future. For those who can afford it, look for cash only clinics in more exotic locations.
It will eventually come to that because everyone has a “right” to health care.
ObaMao's next step will be to make FSAs and HSAs far more restrictive in what you can save in before tax dollars and what you'll be allowed to pay for.
Hospital ships. Turn on the operating room when you’re 3 or 12 miles offshore. It’s got to happen.
They may have to be foreign flagged, but they will be nearby.
There’s a history for tolerating things in boats that aren’t tolerated on land, like gambling barges in states that don’t allow casinos on land. Of course, that’s state run, and the problem here is Federal, but you get the idea.
But if you purchase insurance to cover a catastrophic surgery or hospital stay only, it will be much cheaper. You pay for doctor visits and medicine out of your own pocket. Just like you used to.
Yep. It’s going to be a mess.
It may drive us toward prevention, however. Watch diets, get exercise, etc, in order to STAY healthy, cuz we’ll be in big trouble if we need a doctor.
My doctor asked me how I felt about ObamaCare the other day.
Told him I didn’t care personally and I’d pay the fine.
However, I pay cash for meds, visits and everything else, hoping to get to the front of the line not just for my greenbacks but, for a patient who is very proactive in his healthcare.
If it comes down to it, I’ll start vacationing at cheaper and better places around the world.
He did ask about hear attack.
I laughed and said “Do we need to discuss the numbers, survival probabilities, possibilities and 7% of people being rescusitated with CPR?....Life is tough Dr. and I will one day no longer exist on this earth but, be with my fellow Christians and family in heaven...maybe...”
He laughed and said “Good outlook”.
The doctor doesn’t need to hire two or three people to handle insurance claims.
And once that happens, just imagine what their union dues will be.
Indian reservations, too, perhaps, for major procedures.
I should add that I am concerend for a good number of my friends and Americans in general who cannot now afford that decision but am greatly distressed over the lack of choices they will have once ObamaCare is implemented.
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