Sorry about the spelling of your name, as folks here can attest, spelling is not one of my better skills
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So you want to know if I'm qualified to dicuss business with you, after all you are a "Doctor"!
As to your last irreleavant question, "How many years did you go to college"?
Although you have proven that in the end, college does not make you smarter, only better edudated in a narrow band of elected studies, I have two degrees, and it took five years.
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Then you posted this: "I suppose you have an MBA in healthcare finance or management or practice healthcare law"?
No, but my wife and I do own and run two sucessful, profitable, businesses, and just like you we work very long hours and just like you, sometimes we don't get paid. Of course we factor that into our fees. If everyone paid us I'm sure we could lower our fees.
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Let me try again, it's a fairly simple concept.
I understand you are morally and legally obligated to see patiants who you know will not pay you.
Now tell me, just like a house painter, you have a business model right? You factor in your costs (office, staff, insurance, equipment.......) and I'm sure they are very high. Then you factor in the direct cost to you for providing those services to those who do not pay (they do cost you money), right?
Once you come up with that number, Then you then add in a profit, right?
I'm guessing you do make a profit?
So tell me if the insurance people only pay for their insured and you are required to provide care for those who do not pay you and ***YOU DO MAKE A PROFIT***.
Where does your profit come from? Who pays for your profit?
Do you charge paying clients extra?
Do the insurance people pay you enough so that in the end, even after your cost for the uninsured, there is a profit?
Does the Government cover some of that cost?
It has to be one, two or all of the above, right?
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Then you said this:
"Interestingly, the majority of the uninsured patients I see have access to health insurance (through their work) but are young and choose to not obtain it as they would rather spend the money on hobbies".
So Doc, do you think you would be better off if those people were required to purchase health care insurance? Would you be better off if everyone who came through your door, paid or had insurance?
If everyone who came through your door, paid you or had insurance would your income per patiant go up?
All other things being equal would the overall cost to each paying/insured patient go down?
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Now you say that you alone, cover the cost of the uninsured, but I am certin that some of my very high Health Care cost goes to cover uninsured patiants.
Finally, I will ask one more time!
If every one who is provided with health care either paid or was insured, would my very high, overall cost of health care go down?