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Sound-off
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- Posted October 2, 2012 by
- Liberty1955 Follow
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Watertown, New York
Watertown, New York
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Why Don't Doctors Post Their Prices Like Restaurants?
Would you order a steak at a local restaurant without seeing how much it costs? What about having your hair colored? Would you have that done without first knowing how much it costs?
Ever hired a home contractor?
Can you imagine calling a roofer and once he arrived, saying to him, "Hey, fix my roof and let me know what it costs afterwards, OK?"
Of course not. You'd be taken advantage of in the deal.
People negotiate a price 'before' they agree to having a job done or before they decide to make a purchase.
But this is not the case when we go to a doctor or have an operation. Maybe if you're among the 1% you don't worry what the fee will be. Or, maybe you don't ask or care what it costs to see a doctor if you have good health insurance with a low co-pay.
Can you imagine asking a doctor, "How much do you charge to see that I have a cold and need a script to fight it?"
Few people would ask this.
Most of us make our appointment, see the doctor and then find out afterwards how much it was for the office call.
We need to change this.
Can you imagine arriving at a doctors's office and seeing a menu with prices over the intake desk that says, 'office call, 10 minutes, $125'?
You might turn around and find one that's cheaper and just as good. Is it considered 'uncouth' to ask:
"What's this visit gonna cost?"
There are no doctor's offices that display prices, that I have seen. Have you?
There's no way to compare doctors' prices.
Most with insurance, don't worry and most without insurance do worry but feel, afraid to say, "How much?"
Why? Maybe we're just happy to find someone that has room to see us and any amount of money is OK if we hurt badly enough. This is especially true if your kid is sick.
There need to be major changes in our discussion of health care and how we pay for these services. Personally, I'd like to see doctors post their prices outside their office door like fine restaurants do so if I can't afford dinner there, I'll avoid the embarrassment and go to a doctor's office I can afford.
Ever hired a home contractor?
Can you imagine calling a roofer and once he arrived, saying to him, "Hey, fix my roof and let me know what it costs afterwards, OK?"
Of course not. You'd be taken advantage of in the deal.
People negotiate a price 'before' they agree to having a job done or before they decide to make a purchase.
But this is not the case when we go to a doctor or have an operation. Maybe if you're among the 1% you don't worry what the fee will be. Or, maybe you don't ask or care what it costs to see a doctor if you have good health insurance with a low co-pay.
Can you imagine asking a doctor, "How much do you charge to see that I have a cold and need a script to fight it?"
Few people would ask this.
Most of us make our appointment, see the doctor and then find out afterwards how much it was for the office call.
We need to change this.
Can you imagine arriving at a doctors's office and seeing a menu with prices over the intake desk that says, 'office call, 10 minutes, $125'?
You might turn around and find one that's cheaper and just as good. Is it considered 'uncouth' to ask:
"What's this visit gonna cost?"
There are no doctor's offices that display prices, that I have seen. Have you?
There's no way to compare doctors' prices.
Most with insurance, don't worry and most without insurance do worry but feel, afraid to say, "How much?"
Why? Maybe we're just happy to find someone that has room to see us and any amount of money is OK if we hurt badly enough. This is especially true if your kid is sick.
There need to be major changes in our discussion of health care and how we pay for these services. Personally, I'd like to see doctors post their prices outside their office door like fine restaurants do so if I can't afford dinner there, I'll avoid the embarrassment and go to a doctor's office I can afford.
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