| First of all, let me make clear that I | | | | "please make me sick insurance"? And I |
| do not really know what will happen. I | | | | am very literal when I say illness |
| can however for sure tell you that, like | | | | treatment insurance = "insurance to get |
| the stock market, the game is fixed!! | | | | sick." Who knows, but I bet that with |
| Yes, I mean just that. You will never | | | | their high deductibles, patients will |
| win. Las Vegas is a pale comparison when | | | | wake up and insist on wellness care - |
| it comes to ripping people off. What | | | | real health care; which keeps them |
| people? You, the doctor, of course - if | | | | healthy; which will include food |
| it is not already clears to you that the | | | | supplements, advice on exercise, |
| patients also get ripped off too! Now | | | | massage, chiropractic, physical therapy, |
| that you know that I know nothing about | | | | simple health knowledge such as a round |
| the game of the insurance companies and | | | | of 4-5 ice cold and hot showers every |
| all the hula-hoop of the government, of | | | | day keeping your blood circulation |
| why, how, and when to expect that you | | | | going, nutritional advice and more, much |
| the doctor and all the patients | | | | more. |
| participating in it will ever win. | | | | This above reasoning is also heavily |
| Here is however what seems to be on the | | | | underlined by a decade-long trend into |
| horizon: | | | | the natural, alternative and holistic |
| People will start to think that because | | | | wave of medicine, which cannot possibly |
| companies start choosing insurances with | | | | be overlooked. It has grown into a |
| high annual deductibles, that such will | | | | multi-billion dollar industry. |
| be a good thing. All insurance, in the | | | | People are waking up to real health care |
| first place, is supposed to take care of | | | | the same way as when they started |
| huge and completely unmanageable | | | | seeking freedom instead of slavery. And |
| circumstances. | | | | frankly, this should scare the average |
| So insurance was a good idea. But like | | | | doctor who does not want to use this |
| most good ideas it has been perverted | | | | trend to provide such services to |
| such as the child labor union. It was a | | | | demanding patients. With the advent of |
| good idea when they actually did prevent | | | | the Internet, the public gets educated |
| child slavery but now it makes sure that | | | | faster than ever on new ways and the |
| we create a young civilization that has | | | | Drug companies will have a hell of a |
| no value until their eighteenth year or | | | | time keeping those vital and very |
| so because child labor protection | | | | workable alternatives from them! |
| forbids the young active energetic 14 | | | | And you the doctor better be prepared to |
| year old from working and to participate | | | | do the following: |
| and feel useful, despite the fact that | | | | Realize that you first will have to |
| just about any successful captain of | | | | market to those high deductible |
| industries will tell you how they | | | | individuals. |
| contributed to their families' survival | | | | Your staff better be prepared to explain |
| at age 10 and younger! | | | | the need for minor services very well or |
| You get the point! | | | | those patients will walk out without |
| Back to insurances. If people pay the | | | | leaving you much money and probably |
| every day cost of health care and only | | | | never come back either. Realize that |
| insure the "out of reach items" - let's | | | | preventive health care will take on a |
| say $4,000 and above per year, then cost | | | | whole new meaning to the patients, and |
| of insurance will go down by at least | | | | the doctors. If you the doctor do not |
| $4,000, if not more!! And yet the actual | | | | get on the bandwagon (no matter how much |
| everyday health care cost per person | | | | the AMA or FDA etc. might protest) then |
| will in most cases be less that a $1,000 | | | | the MLM guy and the casual quacks will |
| per month and rarely more than $3,500 | | | | get the bulk of those $3,000 per year |
| for elders. | | | | from hundreds of millions of people. |
| So, in effect they would be saving | | | | So, there are really no pitfalls, except |
| money! Indeed they would. | | | | not realizing and working hard and fast |
| Keep in mind that if the patient pays | | | | and early on acquiring the practice |
| the doctor, there is automatically an | | | | management/marketing skills to get your |
| awful lot less paperwork to administer | | | | share. |
| by the doctors' office and by the | | | | Nobody will pass a law that you HAVE to |
| insurance. This means savings for all - | | | | get your share!! Oh no!! The effort by |
| the doctor, the patient, the insurance | | | | the AMA and the drug companies of |
| companies. | | | | putting everyone in jail who helps |
| Anyhow, quite a few people in | | | | someone to get healthy or recover |
| government, insurance and private | | | | without drugs will be put to rest |
| economists are grinding around that | | | | because people are maintaining their |
| topic. Economical self-evidence will, I | | | | health or getting well. |
| think, get it in the direction of high | | | | As national negotiator Mr. Karass says: |
| deductibles a bit more every month. | | | | "In life you do not get what you deserve |
| This will, despite of it being a good | | | | - you get only what you negotiate!" |
| thing, introduce opportunities and | | | | And then, there is this: |
| pitfalls for the individual | | | | "If the doctor of today does not become |
| practitioner. It is simply a change and | | | | the nutritionist of tomorrow then the |
| must be dealt with accordingly. There | | | | nutritionist of today will be the doctor |
| are no pitfalls except if the individual | | | | of tomorrow" - Rockefeller Institute of |
| practitioner does not start early enough | | | | Medical Research, New York. |
| in realizing that it will change the way | | | | Or as Hippocrates, the Father of |
| he can attract new patients. Keep in | | | | Medicine, and the person whose oath most |
| mind those new patients with high | | | | of you Doctors take, said: |
| deductibles will now be paying cash for | | | | "All medicine is food and all foods are |
| their services and will not be bound to | | | | medicine." |
| go where their insurance tells them to | | | | There are many ways on how to create an |
| go!! Hm!! | | | | advantage for you and the patients you |
| It is a dream come true for those who | | | | will be seeing, and some ways will fit |
| know how to cater to those millions of | | | | you better than others but the most |
| free running patients. Patients might | | | | important thing will be to look at many |
| of course also delay some regular small | | | | ways - kick them around, ask your |
| treatments, because they now have to pay | | | | consultants, or read books. Simply take |
| and thus you need to do a better job at | | | | initiative to find out, don't be afraid |
| enlightening or educating the patients, | | | | of mistakes and due to this fear of |
| and tending to their health. | | | | mistakes sink into doing nothing until |
| Marketing and selling is part of the | | | | you are absolutely sure and until it has |
| patient's education. Avoid becoming a | | | | been proven to work for others. If you |
| marketing/management expert because you | | | | wait and wait and see and see then, |
| are a clinical expert and you perish. | | | | well, you most likely will once more cry |
| Because, last but not least, there will | | | | "victim!" in a few short years. |
| be a shift in what services people will | | | | Followers are sheep, - sheep get killed. |
| demand. Oh yes - there will be an | | | | Followers don't make money and have |
| emphasis on preventive care versus | | | | little personal satisfaction. |
| illness treatment. | | | | Sorry but that is how it will be - in my |
| You see, insurances have never really | | | | humble opinion! |
| paid for staying healthy; they only | | | | A new opportunity is on the horizon. The |
| reimburse the patients for treatment | | | | first few figuring out how to use it |
| needed if sick. Don't ask me for the | | | | will be the winners and will eat up a |
| rationality and how insurances get away | | | | bunch of the rest. But that is nothing |
| with it. After all, it not only costs | | | | new in that, isn't it? Read "The Grocery |
| less to keep a person healthy than | | | | Store Future of the Medical |
| getting him back to health, it is also | | | | Practitioner." Readers of this issue |
| more pleasant! | | | | will have no excuse if they end up in |
| Why did the public fall for this health | | | | the wrong group, the ones which get |
| care insurance scam when it is really a | | | | devoured by the mavericks! |