Post: #1

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/27/ne...tedSidebar


Doc says he can cut prices in half because of lower overhead by not taking insurance.

Next month's headline:

Maine doctor found dead of 23 self inflicted gunshot wounds to the back of his head.

Post: #2

Could be a brilliant idea for the right people. Fuck insurance companies. Those prices are as cheap (if not cheaper) than most insurance copays.

Post: #3

Excellent move. Medical prices are extremely opaque. Most of the time you have no idea how much it costs going it. This provides people a rational basis with which to select a provider. Medical care cost has risen at a rate much higher than the rate of inflation for several decades due to government intervention while voluntary procedures(lasik, plastic surgery) that are not covered by insurance have fallen in price and increased in quality.

http://mises.org/daily/2285

http://mises.org/daily/3613

Hopefully this prompts a return to free market healthcare which consisted in people paying out of pocket for predictable, recurring expenses and then purchasing "Hospital Insurance" which covered getting hit by a bus and other procedures that required a hospital. It is roughly equivalent to a soon to be illegal high deductible insurance policy.

Post: #4

Thought MD was Maryland.

Post: #5

The great hope for avoiding socialized medicine shows its face.

For regulatory countermoves I see:

Government outlaws cash payment for medical services
Government SETS prices for medical services. Every board certified doctor gets a price sheet that he must charge. And the prices are high.
Government makes it illegal for a doctor not to accept insurance. Dr. overhead returns, obamacare marches on (the most likely outcome).

But doing any of those three things might help get people saying "hey, wait just a fucking second..." Unfortunately, maybe not. The things Americans accept jammed up their ass is surprising.

Post: #6

In Mexico, I pay cash and medical care is affordable, including things like ultrasounds and blood tests. Medical care in the US is insanely expensive and about to get worse.

Post: #7

The Clinton healthcare proposal banned cash payments to doctors.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the state go after this guy's license.

Post: #8

Title is misleading, the abbreviation should be ME. But damn those prices are cheap. An EKG in upstate NY cost me $380.

Scorer's probably right: the gov't will find some bureaucratic way to curtail this if it catches on. Gotta love the plutocracy.

Post: #9

Next time any of you go to a hospital with insurance read how much on the bill they charge. Then after that read how much they accept from the insurance company. Very often is much less than what they were charging.

Post: #10

Medical Doctor stops taking insurance.

He is located in ME.

Blame ME for the confusion.

Post: #11

Haha, I live literally one town over from his practice, and his practice is less than a 5 minute walk from my gym.

Might have to hit him up.

Post: #12

Lots of doctors don't take insurance. They're usually the best ones and can do it because they attract the kind of clientele who can afford to pay out of pocket.

If you think about it it's actually kind of fucked up that routine health care is covered by insurance in the first place. You don't use your car insurance to pay for an oil change or new brake pads.

Post: #13

(05-28-2013 08:57 PM)Ensam Wrote:  If you think about it it's actually kind of fucked up that routine health care is covered by insurance in the first place. You don't use your car insurance to pay for an oil change or new brake pads.

Yep. Consider how inane it is that a predictable and low-cost purchase like birth control must now be covered by health insurance, and that moreover this is considered a basic issue of reproductive rights.

Post: #14

Especially after this article, I'm betting he'll do just fine. The next step is building a directory of doctors like this, complete with verified reviews.

Here's another doc with a no-insurance, primary care model: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/apr...z2UdxJgpxK

Post: #15

Looks amazing, but it will be banned.

Post: #16

there's another one you should check out - Surgery Center of Oklahoma. Check out the website and all their surgery prices are posted online for cash only and are about 25% of what hospitals charge. The US insurance/medical system is so corrupt and broken its ridiculous.

Post: #17

I'll be honest, I'm pretty liberal, but I have to agree with most guys here that the government will probably fuck this up. All the politicians are big insurance pawns, so I can definitely see Obama banning this type of practice. A damn shame, because this can be amazing if we cut out the middleman (insurance company).

Post: #18

My mom has insurance. She took an MRI and then asked the front desk lady what her co-pay was? It was 675 dollars or something like that.

She asked how much is it was for cash? Front-desk writes down 400 dollars check/cash on a piece of paper.

This is common practice. This is why it is my belief that you should have high-deductible, high-coverage insurance only as an emergency for catastrophes. 5k or 10k deductible, no max on coverage. These plans are usually not too expensive.

Post: #19

(05-29-2013 07:00 PM)DVY Wrote:  My mom has insurance. She took an MRI and then asked the front desk lady what her co-pay was? It was 675 dollars or something like that.

She asked how much is it was for cash? Front-desk writes down 400 dollars check/cash on a piece of paper.

This is common practice. This is why it is my belief that you should have high-deductible, high-coverage insurance only as an emergency for catastrophes. 5k or 10k deductible, no max on coverage. These plans are usually not too expensive.

This is a smart way to go if you are a young healthy male. I am 36 and self employed and from the time I was 32 until about 6 months ago I had no insurance at all. On the rare occasion I actually had to go to a doctor I just called and asked how much for a visit if i pay cash. Usually under about $100. So for a few years I could get by on less then $200 a year in medical costs. I figured even if I tore and ACL or something it made more sense to fly to Oklahoma, go to the surgery center I mentioned above, and pay cash for the surgery. Its gotten to the point where I got a shitty policy w/a high deductible for $100/month, which is still cheap, but I wonder what the fucking point is because on a policy like that you are still coming out of pocket pretty heavily if you get hurt or sick, and if you have the real 500k catastrophe you may as well just declare bankruptcy at that point.

Post: #20

(05-28-2013 07:46 PM)Scorer Wrote:  The great hope for avoiding socialized medicine shows its face.

For regulatory countermoves I see:

Government outlaws cash payment for medical services
Government SETS prices for medical services. Every board certified doctor gets a price sheet that he must charge. And the prices are high.
Government makes it illegal for a doctor not to accept insurance. Dr. overhead returns, obamacare marches on (the most likely outcome).

But doing any of those three things might help get people saying "hey, wait just a fucking second..." Unfortunately, maybe not. The things Americans accept jammed up their ass is surprising.

I expect all three of those to happen-with Drs being required to accept insurance being the first

Obamacare was always intended to be just a step toward single payer government health care and to wreck private health care along the way

Any American who wants good health care in the future better be making enough money that you can go overseas and pay cash for it

Post: #21

(05-28-2013 09:32 PM)Samseau Wrote:  Looks amazing, but it will be banned.

Banned? That would be unconstitutional. With the proper backing, this guy could turn the government over onto itself.

Post: #22

(05-29-2013 08:10 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

(05-28-2013 09:32 PM)Samseau Wrote:  Looks amazing, but it will be banned.

Banned? That would be unconstitutional. With the proper backing, this guy could turn the government over onto itself.

Forcing Americans to buy insurance or pay a fine is unconstitutional but the courts didnt really seem to give a shit.