Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman
This looks like a healthy discussion that I don't want to PARF-up, but the fact is we have socialized medicine already, today. The way we all pay for it is through taxes and medical insurance premiums. The medical service providers and especially the medical insurance providers.....decide how we pay for that. RSBob is not the only one paying for this. We all are.
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I recently signed up with a "concierge" medical outfit called newcare MD as the result of a "cat fight". Well, it wasn't much of a fight, as when I leaned over my sleeping tom cat he suddenly awoke and instantly "quicker than a cat can lick his butt" went into fight mode and popped me in the corner of my mouth and split my lower lip in two with a right paw.
This outfit saw me the same afternoon. Paid them the $25 fee to sign up as a client, then the $69 per month fee to cover whatever I need to have done. I can cancel anytime, otherwise they just charge the monthly fee to my card. Unlimited visits included in that fee.
So here is how it worked: $25 to sign up, $69 for the month. I hate needles, I suggested to the Doc that we try to tape my lip back together once he cleaned it out really well. He prescribed me a 4 day round of antibiotics---that he had on hand---at a cost of $2 (yes, TWO dollars) and also handed me a bottle of 100 naproxen tabs for another $8 (yes, EIGHT bucks). I left out of the office with a steri-strip taped lip and an appointment for 10:00 the next morning (something told me he knew the tape wasn't going to work...)
Needless to say, the steri-strip didn't work. So at the appointment the next morning I sat back in the chair, closed my eyes and the Doc numbed me up with 2 shots in the lower lip. DAMN that hurt! Once good and numb, he stitched me back together. He usually spends about 30 minutes with his clients, so for the next 15 minutes we shot the breeze. I'm out the door for the amazing amount of $10 (yes, TEN dead presidents). Gives me a scrip for 15 Norcos that he has a pre-arranged deal with the pharmacy and so my co-pay is $14 for those. Set me up for an appointment in a week.
A week later I go back to see the Doc and he looks and pokes and prods at my lip and declares me fixed. The next 25 minutes we discuss old cars. Out the door for $0 (yes, nada zip). The lady friend that is in the medical field wants me to go get some blood work done by them in the near future.....that's gonna set me back a whole $4. Uh huh. Four Dollars.
The best part about this whole business model is there is NO insurance involved, no medical history paperwork to deal with, and the price is right for someone without any kind of insurance. I asked the Doc how his business model is going to work out, and he told me "it's all in the numbers"----they've got 3 Docs on staff and each one plans on having between 500-1000 clients with a monthly subscription to their practice. Check it out, it's a growing medical business model around the U.S. right now called "DPC" or "Direct Primary Care". You might be surprised to find an outfit in your area.
https://newcaremd.com/
EDIT: As for the cat, he later wound up fighting with another cat and getting an abscess that I had to take him to the Vet to resolve. That trip to the Vet cost me $185. Freaking cat costs me more for healthcare than myself!