Is Clark Howard particularly bothered by the trend in question?
Seems like these doctors have too many patients,so they don’t spend much time with them.Maybe it would be worth paying extra,if it meant less patients and more time with the doctor.
Reimbursements to physicians from all sorts of payers is abysmal. I had eye surgery and the provider said his whole reimbursement for the procedure was only $434. My physician said that Medicare pays him only about $20 for my annual physical.
Medicare fees are terrible and Medicaid are even worse. That is why it is rare to find a physician who treats Medicaid patients.
The fact is that the overhead is very high in medical (and dental) office and providers can’t afford to spend much time with patients. I just gave my wife $1200 cash to have treatment in her home country of El Salvador because few physicians here will solve her problems on ridiculous ObamaCare plans.
We must lift all fee limits on physicians who do not participate in Medicare policies, or the care we receive we not be worth anything. Better to pay a higher fee than to get crummy care.
Also, collections are next to impossible now that the CFPB outlawed reporting bad debts under $500 to credit rating agencies. Stupid government regulations do a lot to increase our cost of health care.
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My brother just had a inquinal hernia repair.The provider charged about $11K,but the Medicare Advantage insurance company paid about $1800.Maybe that’s why I get such little time with my doctors.I can’t even ask questions,before they’re out the door.I would pay more for more time with my doctors.My friend has a doctor that he pays about $2K a year.I believe it’s called concierge.The doctor has a limited number of patients.He says he can contact his doctor anytime for quick appointment.I should look for something like that,but then I would have to pay a yearly fee for the primary and for each specialist.There is a company called Oak Street Health,that looks interesting.I viewed one of their infomercials and it might be an option,if you live in an area they serve.It’s owned by CVS,so I believe they will come to So California.It’s strictly for Medicare eligible people.
Few people realize what a health crisis we are hurtling toward because of our demographics.
Traditionally, private patients have subsidized the treatment of Medicaid patients, and to a lesser extent Medicare patients.
With the aging demographics, more and more patients are on Medicare. Physicians cannot survive on low Medicare fees that do not go up over time. In the mean time, our overhead expenses continue to spiral upward.
The choices are to reduce or eliminate doctor time with patients, or charge yearly fees. BECAUSE MEDICARE FIXES PRICES, EVEN FOR NON-PARTICIPATING PROVIDERS! Unlike every other form of insurance.
I used to slip my old physician $40 cash by hand to get good care, as I knew he was losing money treating me. My new physician is scared to do this, as penalties are severe if he were caught. So I get shuttled to PAs and NPs, many of them having limited diagnostic capabilities. A young PA in an orthopedic practice slated me for hip replacement when none was really necessary, because he was tasked with making the diagnosis.
Either let non-participating docs charge what they want to Medicare patients, or annual fees will become universal. You cannot peg prices below the cost of providing services. Already shortages of specialists like GPs and nephrologists are occurring because reimbursements do not provide enough group income.
My old doctor, whom I liked a lot did that, but I had to drop him because I go to the doctor maybe twice a year and couldn’t justify that much to one doctor and then have to have insurance for other doctors and hospitals. But my doc under Medicare advantage gives me as much time as I want and doesn’t rush me thru. Yes…sometimes that makes him run late, but I don’t feel like I’m being rushed thru.