[Mom MD]

I am a hospitalist, I care only for hospitalized patients, so it wouldnt work for me. I can hardly tell someone that I have the medications and therapies to help their acute heart attack, severe pain or whatever and will be happy to provide my services as soon as they pay cash up front.

Im glad for the outpatient docs that go direct care, but it does leave a lot of patients in a lurch. My parents lost their doc in Florida when he went to a boutique practice and they couldn’t afford his rates.... Great for the people that can afford it not so good for others

My personal idea to reform healthcare is to go to high deductible catastrophic coverage, and let folks pay out of pocket up to that point. Combined with health care saving accounts, it gives everyone skin in the game. Fewer people will call an ambulance for a sore throat if they know they have to pay the first x thousand dollars out of pocket - they will go to the urgent care for the 25 dollar throat culture instead.

[Atomic Vomit]

Here’s what we do:

We pay our doctor 2000.00 yearly out of our pockets and for that we receive yearly physicals, minor surgical procedures(sutures, removal skin lesions,etc.), EKGs, some lab tests(those that don’t have to be sent out),osteopathic care. There is a 20.00 copay for office visits after the physical.
The physical is one hour long and very in-depth. Appointments are typically obtained within two days of us calling for anything else.

We combine this with a medical sharing ministry for catastrophic re-imbursement. This costs 405.00 monthly. so total cost with the DC practice plan is about 600.00 monthly.
Our cost for an obamacare silver plan with a huge deductible would be approximately 1500.00-2000.00 monthly.

So far it is working wonderfully for us. I understand it’s not for everyone, but it really can be cost-effective.

I’m sorry to hear doctors talk about leaving medicine when they work so hard and sacrifice so much to get there. They need to think about alternatives before just throwing it all away.
Mrs. AV

[B4Ranch]

>>Fewer people will call an ambulance for a sore throat if they know they have to pay the first x thousand dollars out of pocket - they will go to the urgent care for the 25 dollar throat culture instead.<<

I have been curing my sore throats for 55 years with a eye dropper of hydrogen peroxide in my ears. Four hours later maximum - if it is not completely gone, then I would consider a throat culture. Guess how many throat cultures I have had in 45 years? You’re right, not a single one.