Darwinism and Healthcare: Where They Meet...

[Harrison]

But the free market encourages better choices, right? Many people here have shopped around for surgical services; traveled to other states or countries for medical care. Lots of tough issues for us to sort through and discuss, as we have through the years...

The dynamics are changing. I like the free market. I like choices. I like the ability to choose among alternatives that are best for me, based on my health, and my understanding of the best options at the best price. So isn't this newer plan hinted at below inevitable? Aren't these concierge plans already doing well? The spine brokers banned from this community are making huge commissions on patients looking for out of country and/or concierge services. That would seem to indicate that there's a market need, right?!

What a complex and changing world we live in these days.
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High-end medical option prompts Medicare worries
RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press – Apr 2

WASHINGTON – Every year, thousands of people make a deal with their doctor: I'll pay you a fixed annual fee, whether or not I need your services, and in return you'll see me the day I call, remember who I am and what ails me, and give me your undivided attention.

But this arrangement potentially poses a big threat to Medicare and to the new world of medical care envisioned under President Barack Obama's health overhaul.

The spread of "concierge medicine," where doctors limit their practice to patients who pay a fee of about $1,500 a year, could drive a wedge among the insured. Eventually, people unable to afford the retainer might find themselves stuck on a lower tier, facing less time with doctors and longer waits.

Medicare recipients, who account for a big share of patients in doctors' offices, are the most vulnerable. The program's financial troubles are causing doctors to reassess their participation. But the impact could be broader because primary care doctors are in short supply and the health law will bring in more than 30 million newly insured patients.

Full article:
High-end medical option prompts Medicare worries - Yahoo! News