Any willing provider...
When I started practicing medicine in the 70's, a patient could go to any doctor they wished and the insurance would cover. How do you feel about your insurance company telling you which doctor or medical care facility you can go to for your healthcare? Would you be in favor of an "Any willing provider" law in the legislature?
posted by GadlageENT at 4:08 PM
2 Comments:
This bring to mind the current "Payment for Performance". The insurance companies have push physicians to make a living by volume rather than service. No I'm not a physician and I'm not a lobbyist, but I do know that "any willing provider" opens the market back up and if a patient can chose any doctor, and that doctor will be paid, physicians performance will improve.
It isn't that I feel physicians, as a whole, are not performing. I am of the opinion that "any willing provider" would and should eliminate the BS paperwork and constant auditing I see coming with P4P.
Yes, Yes, a thousand times yes. When I went to work for Southern Bell in 1971 I had insurance coverage that was provided totally free as part of my benefits package. They paid 80% of the UCR rate and I paid the other 20% including prescription medications.
Now that I am retired from AT&T coverage for my wife an me costs aaround $250.00 per MONTH, and I have to fight to find a doctor thet is IN NETWORK. These charges go up every year and the coverage declines at an even faster rate. The prescription plan which started with copays of $5.00 for generic and $10.00 for Brand name now has me paying upwards of $400.00 for some of my meds.
All the while these costs are going up, I am on a fixed income and can't choose the doctors that I prefer many of which I've had a long term relationship with.
If it takes the politicians to get this fixed, so be it!
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