Say Anything Blog

Some doctors are apparently fed up with the hassle of filling out insurance forms and have decided to simply take cash in exchange for their services.

From the Associated Press:

Most people are content with monthly premiums and $10 copays; nine out of 10 doctors contract with managed-care companies. But cash-only medicine is becoming an increasingly attractive option for doctors frustrated by red tape and for the 43 million Americans who lack health insurance.

"It's a terrible indictment of the collapsing health care system," said Arthur Caplan, chairman of the medical ethics department at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. "Insurance and managed care were supposed to streamline -- instead what they've done is add so much paperwork and bureaucracy they're driving some doctors out."

When O'Brien leaves the exam room, he writes a check for $50 and he's done -- no forms, no ID numbers, no copayments.

I wonder how wide-spread this practice actually is? Last time I checked my hospital accepted cash if that's how you wanted to pay, so I'm assuming that the new trend the article is pointing out is doctors who don't take patients with insurance. Can there really be that many doctors out there who have enough cash patients to make a living?

I'm no fan of insurance companies. It costs me upward of $80/month just to cover myself with health insurance through my employer. Then, if I should dare to actually use my insurance, there's 25 hoops I have to jump through and it still costs me money on top of that. It would be nice to just write a check for the medical services and be done with it.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's a wise way to go. The man in the article who wrote a check for $50.00 for his exam must not have children. Anybody who has ever had a flu bug make its way through their children knows that paying $50.00/doctor visit just isn't acceptable.

So while some people may enjoy not having to deal with insurance companies, they are a necessary evil for most of us.