Real Health Reform

The answer is for physicians to take on the care for the poor– for absolutely no pay. No billing, no CPT codes, no ICD-9 codes. Nothing. No physician should earn his living caring for the poor. He should earn his living in his private practice where he can expect payment for services rendered.

And like the way it was before government decided that it could provide health care in an efficient, compassionate, low-cost manner, this free care needs to be done in non-government free clinics (NGFCs)– staffed 95% by volunteer physicians, nurses and support staff and funded by genuine charitable contributions– no government grants, no money extracted from overburdened taxpayers.

...  There will be no government bureaucrats filling out forms to see if they qualify for “benefits.” Each clinic will develop its own criteria to decide who is needy and needs the free care.

These patients need to know that the free clinic is not their medical home, but rather a bump in the road on their way to financial independence. Once they are on their feet, they can go to the same doctors who cared for them in the free clinic, but now in their practices. Pay cash– but a fair cash price, not one that is trying to make up for the low fees paid by Medicare, Medicaid and HMO’s. A free market price, just like Jiffy-Lube for their cars.

I like it ... a lot.

The problem with Medicare and other government sponsored insurance program for the poor and elederly is that the reimbursement is so low that doctors turn their practices into assembly lines to make ends meet.

Read the whole thing for more on this concept.