Opinion

Drop third-party-payer contracts and be free from hassles and bondage

LETTER — Posted Oct. 27, 2008

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Regarding "Medicare is bad, but Medicaid has even more problems" (Column, Sept. 1): I agonized while reading the commentary. I sympathize with the physicians dealing with the system. This is happening because they are letting it happen.

I am a general internist in solo private practice providing primary care. Many years ago I took a stand. I terminated my contracts with Medicare, Medicaid and all private insurance companies. Then I advertised my charges for services in the local newspaper and since then everything is wonderful.

The patient (consumer) knows the price of the service before coming into my office. Patients are willing to pay a reasonable price for the service. Even patients on Medicaid pull out cash for the service.

Total transparency is needed regarding the cost in our profession. We, the physicians, are in a service industry. The gist of capitalism is better service or product for an affordable price. A patient (consumer) knows that nothing is free, never was and never will be.

The atrocities on the physicians by the insurance companies and the government will continue as long as the physicians are willing to serve them and be in their bondage.

The bottom line is that in time of need, the patient is treated and served by the physician and not by any politician, attorney, or an insurance company bureaucrat.

A physician does not need any insurance company. It is vice versa. There was a physician and a patient long before health insurance and there will be a physician and a patient after health insurance is in the pages of the history books.

If a lowly primary care physician can do this, so can others.

One has to be willing to sacrifice for the principle. Believe me, the only things a physician will sacrifice are the hassles and bondage of the bureaucracies.

Rajendra L. Nigalye, MD, Knightdale, N.C.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/10/27/edlt1027.htm.

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