The Boston Globe reports:
Like airlines that offer first-class and coach sections, dermatology is fast becoming a two-tier business in which higher-paying customers often receive greater pampering. In some dermatologists’ offices, freer-spending cosmetic patients are given appointments more quickly than medical patients for whom health insurance pays fixed reimbursement fees.
In other offices, cosmetic patients spend more time with a doctor. And in still others, doctors employ a special receptionist, called a cosmetic concierge, for their beauty patients.
The articles notes that dermatologists can charge $500 for a 10-minute Botox appointment, but insurers will only reimburse them $60 - 90 for a 1-minute full-body skin cancer screening.
Melissa Bundy, a health communications manager in Atlanta, said that several years ago she went to a dermatologist who seemed more interested in selling face treatments than in conducting a thorough skin cancer examination. She has since switched doctors.
“Cosmetic things, it’s a really great business,” Ms. Bundy said. “But it really does seem to be at the expense of people like me getting the medical services that we are looking for.”
Excellent.
Understand, I don't get a thrill out of these stories because I want people with skin cancer to suffer. I get a thrill out these stories because it gives me hope that we're getting to the day when people accept the fact that if you want to voluntarily entice a human being to provide you with a service, you have to pay them for it. When that day comes, I'll feel more secure that when I need a doctor, I'll be able to find one who's willing to do business with me.
There's no solution to this problem if you're a universal health care statist -- except open advocacy of enslaving doctors. There are only two ways to get dermatologists to stop preferential treatment of cosmetics patients -- you're either going to pay them more to treat sick patients or you're going to punish them for treating cosmetics patients. If you're for universal health care, you can't openly advocate anything that will make the system more expensive to taxpayers. If you force insurers to pay more, you'll have to let them raise premiums or you'll have spend more tax dollars subsidizing dermatology. That's a no-no. So all you're left with is: an open call to punish dermatologists who preferentially treat cosmetic patients. Which will lead to an exodus from dermatology that could only be stopped by somehow forcing doctors to become and remain dermatologists.
Which will show people just exactly why restricting doctors' freedom must inevitably lead to decreased access to medical care.
2 comments:
great article!!! a friend and I were just talking about how doctors really don't make out well with the way health insurance is set up in this country...your article brought some new insights.
Thank You....
I grew up in South Florida and got massive sun exposure as a kid. With a fair complexion and lots of resulting moles, I am at a relatively high risk of getting skin cancer. So, for the rest of my life good dermatological care is essential to nab any potential cancers early.
Having said that, I hope all of the underpaid dermatologists out there go on strike. I am better off cobbling together my own treatment however I can until our medical system is liberated. You are right that people want cheap access to *humans* for their medical care. That used to be called slavery.
Whatever they call it these days (universal care, "compassion" for the poor, "fairness"), those are just snake oil slogans to obscure the progressive enslavement of doctors.
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