Just keep in mind, they probably will be very limited as to insurance coverage and for the most part may only accept cash payment. In order to keep their own costs down by not having to navigate the insurance minefield, a patient will have to file their own claim and see if they will get reimbursed by their carrier. Not having to deal with the insurance headache is a streamliner for a practice.
If AFD truly wants to break away and start a parallel medical economy, payment methods have to be part of the equation. Medicare or Medicaid will be out of the question because of the stranglehold the Federal and State Governments have on providers that accept these forms of insurance. Private carriers can also exert their own form of coercion with regard to what and what not is considered acceptable and reimbursable care. If what they say about operating as a more free medical entity, they will have to get beyond a cash payment system alone. They will have to develop a parallel insurance as part of this new medical structure.
Until the collapse of the federal government is complete there will be no way to be part of the insurance scam system. It will be cash based and if you truly look at costs associated with some of these things you might find you are much better off buying some sort of catastrophic plan and skipping other insurances.
True, but for some people paying cash for all their medical services is not an option - especially for many seniors already forced into Medicare. Prescriptions and lab work are some of the most frequent expenses that require coverage to help pay the cost. Back in the day, many providers had a small lab on site that could do some basic lab work. Maybe that would be an option as they expand and offer basic services on a subscription. It would be a start for sure and we must begin somewhere.
I operated without medical insurance for years and actually faired much better. On the rare occasion I did become ill, I payed for an office visit and walked out with meds my provider stashed - which is a common practice to cover patients that do not have insurance.
And many people don’t know most drug companies have indigent programs where they will pay 100% for those who are unable to pay. There are also free health clinics in certain areas.
Hopefully moving forward our world will become a much better place for everyone.
I like the idea of privately run neighborhood clinics that have some basic services like lab and pharmacy all located at the same site. Free clinics unfortunately are usually grant supported which means government interference. Many are connected with a Medical School to help train interns - not that this is a bad thing. Medical students can be very conscientious and take their time in addition to all the supervision that takes place. The income requirements are usually very low, like less than a thousand a month to qualify for free services. Otherwise they charge by a sliding fee scale which for many turns out to be not so affordable. I used to volunteer at one of these clinics one day a week for almost two years. It was always crowded and served many in the immigrant community. I learned a lot there because of the conditions that presented in these low income populations that often have neglected health issues. Many of us volunteered our services at these clinics otherwise there was no way they could remain open. There is a huge unmet need for these types of clinics. I really hope we can create a new affordable way to deliver medical services to the public without the strings attached from insurance and the government.
Many believe this is how we ACTUALLY drive medical costs down. Its the third party payment model that has caused prices to go to exorbitant levels. By not being able to rely on insurance, and also not needing to deal with the insurance headaches, the office can post clear pricing for their services, AND keep those prices lower.
Yes, this. I work in "modern" medical and most of the stuff i use for health is more traditional, vitamins/herbs exercise, breathwork, meditation, etc.... I have to pay for most of that out of pocket anyways...
They are starting simple and possibly starting something similar to a neighborhood clinic that could do some basic lab work and have a small onsite pharmacy that carries basic essential medications. A subscription service if affordable, would work along with having some kind of catastrophic coverage. Even some surgical procedures can be done on an outpatient basis. Anything is possible if there is a way for people to afford to participate.
All I know is that by removing insurance out of the equation for a practice, the operational costs will be reduced substantially just in personnel costs alone. The rest would depend on if they offer basic lab services and essential medications. The more services they could offer on site would surely reduce the overall cost to the patient versus seeking those same services at an outside provider.
Just keep in mind, they probably will be very limited as to insurance coverage and for the most part may only accept cash payment. In order to keep their own costs down by not having to navigate the insurance minefield, a patient will have to file their own claim and see if they will get reimbursed by their carrier. Not having to deal with the insurance headache is a streamliner for a practice.
If AFD truly wants to break away and start a parallel medical economy, payment methods have to be part of the equation. Medicare or Medicaid will be out of the question because of the stranglehold the Federal and State Governments have on providers that accept these forms of insurance. Private carriers can also exert their own form of coercion with regard to what and what not is considered acceptable and reimbursable care. If what they say about operating as a more free medical entity, they will have to get beyond a cash payment system alone. They will have to develop a parallel insurance as part of this new medical structure.
Until the collapse of the federal government is complete there will be no way to be part of the insurance scam system. It will be cash based and if you truly look at costs associated with some of these things you might find you are much better off buying some sort of catastrophic plan and skipping other insurances.
True, but for some people paying cash for all their medical services is not an option - especially for many seniors already forced into Medicare. Prescriptions and lab work are some of the most frequent expenses that require coverage to help pay the cost. Back in the day, many providers had a small lab on site that could do some basic lab work. Maybe that would be an option as they expand and offer basic services on a subscription. It would be a start for sure and we must begin somewhere.
I operated without medical insurance for years and actually faired much better. On the rare occasion I did become ill, I payed for an office visit and walked out with meds my provider stashed - which is a common practice to cover patients that do not have insurance.
And many people don’t know most drug companies have indigent programs where they will pay 100% for those who are unable to pay. There are also free health clinics in certain areas.
Hopefully moving forward our world will become a much better place for everyone.
I like the idea of privately run neighborhood clinics that have some basic services like lab and pharmacy all located at the same site. Free clinics unfortunately are usually grant supported which means government interference. Many are connected with a Medical School to help train interns - not that this is a bad thing. Medical students can be very conscientious and take their time in addition to all the supervision that takes place. The income requirements are usually very low, like less than a thousand a month to qualify for free services. Otherwise they charge by a sliding fee scale which for many turns out to be not so affordable. I used to volunteer at one of these clinics one day a week for almost two years. It was always crowded and served many in the immigrant community. I learned a lot there because of the conditions that presented in these low income populations that often have neglected health issues. Many of us volunteered our services at these clinics otherwise there was no way they could remain open. There is a huge unmet need for these types of clinics. I really hope we can create a new affordable way to deliver medical services to the public without the strings attached from insurance and the government.
Many believe this is how we ACTUALLY drive medical costs down. Its the third party payment model that has caused prices to go to exorbitant levels. By not being able to rely on insurance, and also not needing to deal with the insurance headaches, the office can post clear pricing for their services, AND keep those prices lower.
Yes, this. I work in "modern" medical and most of the stuff i use for health is more traditional, vitamins/herbs exercise, breathwork, meditation, etc.... I have to pay for most of that out of pocket anyways...
Or they can try to get thousands of us to leave blue shield all at once and pay our premiums to them directly.
They are starting simple and possibly starting something similar to a neighborhood clinic that could do some basic lab work and have a small onsite pharmacy that carries basic essential medications. A subscription service if affordable, would work along with having some kind of catastrophic coverage. Even some surgical procedures can be done on an outpatient basis. Anything is possible if there is a way for people to afford to participate.
That's good. Every biz has to start small and expand with revenue generation. Hope they offer pure blood matching service.
They need to come up with an affordable subscription service and fuck the insurance company's. A family of 4 like $125 a month.
All I know is that by removing insurance out of the equation for a practice, the operational costs will be reduced substantially just in personnel costs alone. The rest would depend on if they offer basic lab services and essential medications. The more services they could offer on site would surely reduce the overall cost to the patient versus seeking those same services at an outside provider.