Obummercare just bit me in the butt

[millergrovesue]

I'm guessing "Concierge" means..off the grid, so to speak.

I have a friend on the east coast that has a doctor that requests a yearly fee to sort of be on call for that person, and others that pay the fee..and doesn't work for the public at large.

I think this is a very good thing..(although I get the frustration if your favorite doctor just changed to this policy and is now charging more than you are willing to pay.)

But it's a good thing because it is a logical step to bring health care back into the world of Capitalism.

The person that pays the doctor fee gets direct service without having to pay for people that expect their health care for free.

I do hope this is the future..but probably not. The future is probably more and more health care welfare cases.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about GFB. The annual (or as with my GP monthly) fee isn't the big problem. The big problem is these guys have opted out of the government crap - in our case Medicare and Tricare. That means not only can they not bill the insurance/Medicare/Tricare for other fees - labs, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, surgeries, all those really expensive procedures - BUT the patient can't file for reimbursement either. How many of us can afford to pay for a $5,000 medical procedure out of pocket? Or, how about a $50,000 hospital stay? See what the problem is?

[GFB]

I'm guessing "Concierge" means..off the grid, so to speak.

I have a friend on the east coast that has a doctor that requests a yearly fee to sort of be on call for that person, and others that pay the fee..and doesn't work for the public at large.

I think this is a very good thing..(although I get the frustration if your favorite doctor just changed to this policy and is now charging more than you are willing to pay.)

But it's a good thing because it is a logical step to bring health care back into the world of Capitalism.

The person that pays the doctor fee gets direct service without having to pay for people that expect their health care for free.

I do hope this is the future..but probably not. The future is probably more and more health care welfare cases.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about GFB. The annual (or as with my GP monthly) fee isn't the big problem. The big problem is these guys have opted out of the government crap - in our case Medicare and Tricare. That means not only can they not bill the insurance/Medicare/Tricare for other fees - labs, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, surgeries, all those really expensive procedures - BUT the patient can't file for reimbursement either. How many of us can afford to pay for a $5,000 medical procedure out of pocket? Or, how about a $50,000 hospital stay? See what the problem is?

Well no, I don't see the problem.

Of course you'd still want to have some insurance as well.

..at the very least major medical.

[GFB]

But I get it now..in your case..it's about Medicare..I've never heard of Tricare.

No question, unless you love this doctor more than life itself..he's gotta go...you want doctors that will honor Medicare..if that's where you are in life.

[Red Oak]

You can thank the Rats for Medicare also, what a deal !

[millergrovesue]

"Well no, I don't see the problem.

Of course you'd still want to have some insurance as well.

..at the very least major medical."

"But I get it now..in your case..it's about Medicare..I've never heard of Tricare.

No question, unless you love this doctor more than life itself..he's gotta go...you want doctors that will honor Medicare..if that's where you are in life."

Doesn't matter how much I love the doc. No normal human can afford the kind of $$$$$ necessary to pay all medical expenses out of pocket. The problem is the docs either have to accept assignment, which means taking the paltry sum paid by Medicare and most insurances, and not bill the patient for the difference therefore eating the loss OR opt out of Medicare and most insurances period. This means the patient is stuck paying ALL expenses out of pocket. Oh, and the patient is stuck paying premiums for insurance the patient can't use. Works okay until you oh, say, fall off a ladder, hit your head, have to call an ambulance, go the emergency room, are in the hospital for a week with all accompanying tests, room fees, doctor consultations, labs, etc. In a case like that the expenses can quickly run into the tens of thousands of dollars all of which would, every penny, have to come out of your pocket. Does that help you understand the problem?

BTW Tricare is insurance coverage "for life" the government was supposed to provide to people like my spouse who devoted 20 years of his life to the service of his country. Yeah, that worked out really for him/us.

[Red Oak]

MEDICARE - what a deal !

You currently pay 2.9% of your earned income as a Tax into it, if you are higher income you pay 3.8% into it. With no cap, as with Social Security. And you pay 3.8% on unearned income.

Then in retirement after your entire working life paying into this mess, you pay quite a premium out of your SS.

In 1964 the average retired person paid on average 20% of their income for medical care, in 2010 the average retired person paid 18% of the income for health care, after funding the SOB for their entire working life.

[millergrovesue]

MEDICARE - what a deal !

You currently pay 2.9% of your earned income as a Tax into it, if you are higher income you pay 3.8% into it. With no cap, as with Social Security. And you pay 3.8% on unearned income.

Then in retirement after your entire working life paying into this mess, you pay quite a premium out of your SS.

In 1964 the average retired person paid on average 20% of their income for medical care, in 2010 the average retired person paid 18% of the income for health care, after funding the SOB for their entire working life.

Yep, royal screwing.

[GFB]

"Well no, I don't see the problem.

Of course you'd still want to have some insurance as well.

..at the very least major medical."

"But I get it now..in your case..it's about Medicare..I've never heard of Tricare.

No question, unless you love this doctor more than life itself..he's gotta go...you want doctors that will honor Medicare..if that's where you are in life."

Doesn't matter how much I love the doc. No normal human can afford the kind of $$$$$ necessary to pay all medical expenses out of pocket.

To your first sentence here,,I think it might. A person could stay with a doctor that goes "concierge" while still purchasing some type of insurance..if that doctor is really important to you.

To the second sentence..yes..that was my point..most people still need health insurance even though they join a concierge doctor situation.

[millergrovesue]

Yeah but my point is if you go with one of these concierge docs, who has completely opted out, the insurance (in my case Medicare and Tricare) won't do you any good because you can't file it at all. The doc can't file it for you nor can you file it for yourself. No reimbursement at all. That's how the fed has written the law. I have the coverage BUT it does me no good with these docs because it can't be used. Major screw over by the government shoving doctors into corners.

[ralph]

yeah GFB , I like that idea or Consirege Care if that's what it is called . Sorta like paying for and having a private Doctor on call I think . And yeah , I never heard any clamor for healthcare . As far as paying for the poor goes , well taxpayers will still end up picking up their tabs anyway I think .