This bugs me every time I read about free clinics and/or ER costs.
It seems most Americans with limited or no healthcare is:
1. Go to the ER and pay $X000
2. Wait in line at a free clinic for 9+ hours and maybe/maybe not see a doctor
This seems like a gigantic need for a middle ground to be filled.
I know that CVS and WalMart have done things like the $60 Physician's Assistant visit at retail locations but that always seems as though it's only available in a small percentage of locations.
Are the fixed costs of having even 2-3 doctors so high that this just not an economic option at anything less than $X000 per visit?
I would also imagine that if you take a Total Cost of Ownership approach, it's in society's best interest to subsidize some of this cost. I'm basing this on past articles/studies that show that some huge portion of medical care costs go to issues that were largely left unaddressed at first presentation.
P.S. As I wrote this, I thought of Urgent Care providers but even those seem high cost for folks with no healthcare.
It seems most Americans with limited or no healthcare is:
1. Go to the ER and pay $X000
2. Wait in line at a free clinic for 9+ hours and maybe/maybe not see a doctor
This seems like a gigantic need for a middle ground to be filled.
I know that CVS and WalMart have done things like the $60 Physician's Assistant visit at retail locations but that always seems as though it's only available in a small percentage of locations.
Are the fixed costs of having even 2-3 doctors so high that this just not an economic option at anything less than $X000 per visit?
I would also imagine that if you take a Total Cost of Ownership approach, it's in society's best interest to subsidize some of this cost. I'm basing this on past articles/studies that show that some huge portion of medical care costs go to issues that were largely left unaddressed at first presentation.
P.S. As I wrote this, I thought of Urgent Care providers but even those seem high cost for folks with no healthcare.