House Calls—for a hefty price
You can't listen to the news for more than 10 minutes without hearing about our healthcare system being in crisis.
One recent splinter that is breaking off puts a modern twist on an old-fashioned practice. It's the literal, in-person version of what you're reading right now: A house call.
But hold on to your wallet, because it's going to cost you. Just having the doctor arrive at your doorstep will set you back $250 to $450. And if you require tests or medication—that's extra.
Good luck getting your health insurance company to cover the costs, though. Most have no provision to reimburse for an out-of-network house call. (Think how they drag their feet when it's in-network!)
But that doesn't stop patients from wanting this convenience available to them, whether they're traveling or leading a hectic-paced lifestyle. As the costs of health care premiums continue to skyrocket, more folks are looking at options. The way it stands now, you have to wait for an appointment, then wait in the aptly named 'waiting' room, and then wait some more in the examining room.
You can understand why people are looking for a better way—and are willing to pay for it.
And doctors are looking for a better way, too. They're up to their eyeballs in paperwork and dealing with demanding insurance companies that have turned health care into some sort of barter system where doctors find themselves constantly negotiating fees with them. The lure of having a practice where the fee is the fee, the service is rendered and the pay is immediate is just too great for many doctors to want to pass up.
One negative of this type of system is that it becomes exclusionary: Not everyone can afford "boutique"-style healthcare. Also, the problem of so many uninsured Americans isn't addressed. And with traveling doctors and patients, who is the repository of medical records?
There are now nearly 50 million uninsured Americans. There's a patchwork of profit-driven insurance companies literally driving doctors out of practice and bankrupting patients. Billions of dollars are spent on unnecessary drugs–money that should be spent on community health and education. Our system of medical education has been hijacked by the drug companies, which means that even more "like minds" are being nurtured and churned out. We have a long way to go—and some very large, powerful special interests to displace—before we can expect improvement.
Health care as an issue will continue to remain in the spotlight as everyone searches for what will be the new face of medical treatment. And this is just one very small, partial solution being set in place. I'm sure we'll see more and more evolve.
In the meantime, rest assured that I'll continue to visit you through House Calls— and it won't cost you a dime.
