The Doctor Is In. Co-Pay? $40,000.

[Cattledog]

...Money has always made a big difference in the medical world: fancier rooms at hospitals, better food and access to the latest treatments and technology. Concierge practices, where patients pay several thousand dollars a year so they can quickly reach their primary care doctor, with guaranteed same-day appointments, have been around for decades.

But these aren’t the concierge doctors you’ve heard about — and that’s intentional.

Dr. Shlain’s Private Medical group does not advertise and has virtually no presence on the web, and new patients come strictly by word of mouth. But with annual fees that range from $40,000 to $80,000 per family (more than 10 times what conventional concierge practices charge), the suite of services goes far beyond 24-hour access or a Nespresso machine in the waiting room.

Indeed, as many Americans struggle to pay for health care — or even, with the future of the Affordable Care Act in question on Capitol Hill, face a loss of coverage — this corner of what some doctors call the medical-industrial complex is booming: boutique doctors and high-end hospital wards.

"This is a long article and should be read in its entirety. Is this the future of health care? A 2 tiered system?"

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/economy/high-end-medical-care.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

[jehop61]

1. This is real

We had to give up our doctor of six years because she went to concierge practice. Liked her but now have to start over with a new physician. It's unamerican in my opinion.

[mn9driver]

2. A troubling statement about wealth and income inequality.

That there is enough business to support a large number of these ultra high-end concierge practices while millions of Americans pretend they don't notice symptoms so they can avoid the expense of a doctor visit.

[Turbineguy]

3. Specializing

in diseases of the rich.

[question everything]

4. But, as my mother used to say: once they take off their pants, they all look the same

(more or less, she never heard of Botox..)