That’s why being referred to a far away specialist probably wouldn’t work for many people. But more and more specialists are interacting with some patients electronically and not in person, face to face.
How does that work for people who don’t make enough money to have any left over at the end of the month to put some of it into a medical savings account?
While it’s a relief to hear it won’t end up like insurers who might give a surprise denial (horror stories that are too real though I don’t recall any myself (Michael Moore’s Sicko does give its share of stories of people not being helped well by today’s health care system)), what about the people who don’t neatly fit into income guidelines, like a working-class family or individual who barely misses the eligibility cut-offs.
For most, for some, yes but doesn’t the insurance system (or probably even a universal or single-payer system so long as you’re not the one being denied) help those who have the most expensive issues and needs like someone with chronic conditions and/or multiple medical needs; for mental health, wouldn’t it be much easier if someone’s plan covered all their fees for weekly counseling, seeing a psychiatrist and paying for prescription, for people especially on the lower ends of the spectrum, self-pay or paying for a therapist every week seems to be challenging, what do you think can be done there?
And if the patient is a working-class individual living paycheck to paycheck, what are his options?
You might as well recommend not getting sick or needing counseling.
Do you think that most patients could pay for a psychiatrist out of pocket? According to statistics online, they usually charge about $500 for an initial consultation and $100 per hour after that. And would it be good for demand to be lower since that would probably mean that someone with possibly serious mental health problems isn’t getting treated. And for psychiatrists to get paid more to increase supply would make their charges even more exorbitant.
I like this. Thank you Mr.Jim. My concern here is that local governments can only expend so much resources (plus there’s an incentive of a “race to zero” since counties and states compete with each other which seems safety nets and the people in need lose out); in this case, I’d like the federal government to help, maybe with funding community health centers or state subsidies to institutions like free clinics or safety net hospitals (I believe they already do the latter with uncompensated care but at a larger scale, maybe to accommodate more basic forms of care like preventative and primary).
I don’t think most people who are living, like seriously living “paycheck to paycheck” do so out of thier own volition: perhaps they’re stuck at a dead-end career or job, they’re struggling with living costs, especially housing, maybe even going without insurance and they’re people doing what they can, you know your definition of the working class?
If I had a dime for every time this saying was trotted out and flogged, I could afford a good health care plan!
I thought I had explained it. Under my proposal, YOU are your own insurer. You make your own decisions and pay with your own money – until you reach the deductible and your catastrophic insurance policy kicks in.
I thought I had explained that, too. When you apply for help, you submit your tax return. The help you receive will be based on your declared income.
It is the responsibility of the retiring doctor to find doctors for his patients. Not doing so is called Patient Abandonment.
No system of insurance will guarantee competence in doctors.
And we can see by escalating medical costs how well they do that.
But do you get your unspent premiums back? Under my proposal, it’s YOUR money and you keep any unspent money and roll it over into your IRA.