Medicare seems to be giving medical service providers a tough time these days. They have imposed tighter restrictions and reduced fee structures for many types of medical service providers. Some of this reform is well overdue, and I would not argue that point.
However, some Medicare doctor’s practices are getting stressed. Doctors say they have to rush in order to fit in enough patients so they can operate at the same profit level and keep the rest of the staff. In response, a few practices have imposed membership fees and will only seem “members” who pay these fees to join the practice.
The fees are usually about fifteen to eighteen hundred dollars a year. In return, patients are assured of more time with doctors, quicker appointments, and personal (“concierge”) service. Even the best Medicare health plan will not pay these fees though other services could still be covered.
The medical service providers say they do not want to cut out poor people, but do want to provide better quality care to members they have. US health reform experts worry that this new trend could leave a wider gap between poorer and richer patients. Doctors who do not require a few may get even busier as they try to accept patients who left concierge practices.
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