

Dealing With Doctors Who Accept Only Cash - danso
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/your-money/dealing-with-doctors-who-accept-only-cash.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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vampirechicken
This is very good. I used to have a doctor who worked "cash-only" with her
patients. Eventually she had to change over to billing insurance, and then had
to hire people just to manage insurance billing.

She quit general practice, and became a cosmetic surgeon, with a cool-ass
laser. Insurance doesn't cover cosmetic procedures, so she doesn't have to
deal with them any more.

The world lost a fantastic Family Doctor because of how insurance handles
billing and payment.

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JacobAldridge
Worth reiterating - because I've seen this conversation here before - that
1,000 patients @ $38/ month != "earns $38,000/ month".

There are still salaries (well, singular in this example - the receptionist)
plus overheads, training, insurance etc. Sure, the margins are much better in
medicine, but buying a $10 book off Amazon != $10 income to Jeff Bezos, and
the same principle applies.

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vampirechicken
I'd rather let my doctor make the money.

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vampirechicken
It is also worth noting that is some states, doctors who switch to a monthly
fee billing have been sued for illegally operating an unlicensed insurance
company.

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vampirechicken
It is worth noting, it that even if your Family Doctor works this way, most
people want insurance against medical catastrophes, not just well care.

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cafard
When we were looking for a new doctor, we asked two friends, both MDs, who
they used. Both used doctors who don't take insurance.

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indiecore
When a market becomes untenable the market will move. The American Insurance
cartels are stepping over the line and finally patients AND doctors are
realizing it's detrimental to their health.

