Just when you thought "health care" in the US couldn't get any suckier...concierge medicine. [View all]

[raccoon]

Concierge medicine (also known as retainer medicine) is a relationship between a patient and a primary care physician in which the patient pays an annual fee or retainer. This may or may not be in addition to other charges. In exchange for the retainer, doctors provide enhanced care, including principally a commitment to limit patient loads to ensure adequate time and availability for each patient.[1]

Controversy

The concept of concierge medicine has been accused of promoting a two-tiered health system that favors the wealthy,[26] limits the number of physicians to care for those who cannot afford it, and burdens the middle and lower class with a higher cost of insurance. Detractors contend that while this approach is more lucrative for some physicians and makes care more convenient for their patients, it makes care less accessible for other patients who cannot afford (or choose not) to pay the required membership fees.[27]

One physician in a CNN.com article noted that he might not be treating patients at all if he hadn't made the switch to concierge medicine: "… many doctors are becoming so disillusioned with primary care that they are quitting altogether." Others physicians feel like they can't abandon patients who are unwilling to pay the additional fee. Proponents of concierge claim that it meets consumer demand, allows physicians to provide the treatment they deem necessary, and improves quality of care by increasing the amount of time spent on preventive medicine.[28] Preventive care such as lifestyle advice and follow-up phone calls and emails are not usually reimbursed by insurance. Physicians significantly reduce the number of patients they see in a day, which allows them to spend extra time and attention with each patient. It has also been noted that while some concierge medicine practices do not accept insurance, all of their patients are encouraged to carry health insurance for services utilized outside of the practice. Some practices offer several membership packages with and without insurance coverage.[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concierge_medicine