bargsbeer69
Journeyman
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 80
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I found this story on MSNBC.COM ,Thought it was intersting
....Check it out.
Doctors launch cash-only practices
Under new system, physicians are 'charging less and making more'
By Anne Thompson
Correspondent
NBC News
In one Seattle doctors office, cash is king. There are no insurance cards, little paperwork and, ultimately, better medicine, says Dr. Vern Cherewatenko.
I really only have one person that Im responsible for now, and thats the patient thats in front of me, and it allows that patient to get all the care that they want from me," he adds.
Six years ago, Cherewatenko was drowning in paperwork and red ink, accepting more than 300 different insurance plans with 7,500 different medical codes.
We were losing $80,000 a month. We were inundated with paperwork. What we found is the more patients we saw, the more money we lost, and it was devastating, he says.
'Charging less and making more'
Unable to survive, Cherewatenko discovered what he says is a better way a cash-only practice thats grown into a national network of 1,600 doctors.
We have lowered our fees anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent on some of our services which is incredible, he says. And its really charging less and making more.
Steve Nord used to belong to an HMO, but hes traded it in for a cheaper policy that only covers catastrophic illness, opting to save on premiums and pay for his own routine medical care. It just made sense because there was no hassle, says Nord. I just figured I could save more money that way and pay as you go.
Cash is simple, but is it a real solution to the nations health care crisis? Analysts say its only an answer for those who are very healthy or very wealthy.
Dr. Bob Blendon, professor of health policy at Harvard University, estimates that only 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans can benefit from such a system.
Its not really an answer for people who get sick, have large medical bills, need X-rays and drugs. Somebody has to pay for that, and those people are really going to need insurance coverage, Blendon says.
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ReOkie
Board Addict
Reged: 02/20/04
Posts: 331
Loc: Oklahoma
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I've been paying cash for years, get a better price than if I had insurance and they seem to treat me better.
Capital idea!
ReOkie
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nylady
Journeyman
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 75
Loc: NY
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I agree!
My doctor (GP/Internist) reduced my office visit price from $90+ down to $45 and he spends as much time as is necessary with me.
Doctors can't afford to spend more than 5 to 10 minutes with a patient through an HMO, the ole "hand on the doorknob" routine we all know so well
I had worked in medical offices as a biller through 10/02. According to former coworkers they pay less now than they did back then and it was an average of $12/visit back then!
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Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.- Napoleon Bonaparte
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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My ex-husband pays $1200 a month for our insurance that covers the two of us and our 2 children. That's a no-deductible, PPO plan with $15 co-pays for office visits and $16 co-pay for prescriptions. If I didn't have cancer, it would be far better to pay out of pocket for doctor's visits--even pain clinic visits and even expensive tests (as they are done so infrequently) and carry only hospitalization insurance.
Because he is self-employed, we pay the entire premium for our health insurance. The next time somebody whines about how much their health insurance premiums are through their employer, please remember that those of us who work for ourselves are paying a whole lot more.
Our mortgage payment is less than our health insurance premiums! That's just plain sick!
I know for a fact that until I underwent treatment for my lymphosarcoma, we never even came close to using $14,000 in medical expenses each year (the total annual cost for our health insurance premiums.)
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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caramello51
Board Addict
Reged: 09/28/02
Posts: 311
Loc: Alaska
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Quote:
Our mortgage payment is less than our health insurance premiums! That's just plain sick!
amen, amen to that. i too am self-employed. i can not afford health insurance that has a deductible less than $5000.
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t_oshan2003
Enthusiast
Reged: 10/17/03
Posts: 295
Loc: East
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WOW, I pay about 400 a month for a family plan through my employer who picks up 2/3 of the tab. Guess I am lucky.
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lardaman
Banned: flame wars, insults, offending others
Reged: 08/14/02
Posts: 244
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It is a great Idea! One that will only lead to health insurance companies increasing their rates even more, because the healthy or conscience consumer will not be paying high premiums anymore. Which in turn will result in more people using "pay as you go". Eventually only the very sick will be able to afford health coverage, and that will be because the government will be paying for it. I suppose that's better than the government paying for everybody who is on welfare now.
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