FosterThomas Blog

I was at the gym this morning and overheard some people talking about making medical appointments with ‘concierge’ doctors who typically charge annual fees instead of accepting health insurance. 

 It seems to me that this has been evolving for some time mainly because doctors are fed up with the low reimbursement levels they receive from insurance carriers and they can also keep their overhead and administrative costs low.  I also believe these freelance docs have sprung up due to the fact that Americans have been and continue to remain uninformed or misinformed about our healthcare system. 

 As an experienced health insurance specialist working with a market leading HR consulting firm, it seems to me that paying a ‘concierge’ doctor anywhere from $600 to $5,000 per year-- when they could be receiving their preventive care free of charge-- is defeating the purpose of the healthcare reform movement.  The point is that most Americans are ignorant and misinformed about our healthcare system in general.  I don’t blame anyone in particular for this because we have all just sort of let this ‘happen’ to us over the past couple of decades but the buck has got to stop here. 

 In researching Medicare and various Medigap policies available on the market, I found it difficult and confusing to understand all of the internal workings and nuances of all of the policies available to seniors, so I can appreciate why they must also feel lost and concerned about what coverages are available to them.  It’s no wonder they fear that "death panels" could be formed to make end-of-life decisions about them.  They probably feel out of control because of all of the complexities and thick documents.

 I agree with consumer advocates who worry that people won't take advantage of new benefits coming down the pike with the healthcare reform changes.  In my opinion, we definitely need to educate everyone – not just seniors but generations ‘Y’, ‘X’, teenagers, and children alike.  I believe this is critical and the outreach must be extensive – basic facts should be presented so as to allay confusion- and to ensure that all Americans know how to become informed healthcare consumers.

Supporting press can be found in the USA Today article 'With Many Still in Dark, Groups Shed Light on Health Care Law' found here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-12-healthconfusion12_ST_N.htm

Written by: Ellie Tonder, Vice President Operations

Photo Courtesy of: CleverCupcakes

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Foster Thomas is the Mid-Atlantic region’s leading HR Management Consulting organization.  With over 17 years of experience providing best-in-class HR-focused professional services, Foster Thomas creates custom scalable HR solutions for emerging and mid-sized organizations, government contractors and non-profits.