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