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Which services and how much.The vast majority of preventative care that it provides is incredibly cheap and doesn't need to be free to the patient.
Which services and how much.The vast majority of preventative care that it provides is incredibly cheap and doesn't need to be free to the patient.
Well let's see...Which services and how much.
Well let's see...
Pap Smear $23
Yearly colon cancer DNA fecal card $26
PSA $11
Lipid Panel $7
What others should I price for you?
These prices, which seem affordable to you, are not affordable to all Americans. Also, I am pretty sure that these are the costs of services with private insurance, and not without private insurance. Affording private insurance in this country is not reasonable for the majority of those living in poverty, so of course it makes sense for ObamaCare to offer these preventable services to poorer Americans.Well let's see...
Pap Smear $23
Yearly colon cancer DNA fecal card $26
PSA $11
Lipid Panel $7
What others should I price for you?
Incorrect, those are the prices at my insurance-free practice.These prices, which seem affordable to you, are not affordable to all Americans. Also, I am pretty sure that these are the costs of services with private insurance, and not without private insurance. Affording private insurance in this country is not reasonable for the majority of those living in poverty, so of course it makes sense for ObamaCare to offer these preventable services to poorer Americans.
Furthermore, there are other services involved such as counseling for HIV, mental health, etc. Those services are not at all cheap.
Incorrect, those are the prices at my insurance-free practice.
And I'm sorry, if you can't afford a $23 pap smear every 3 years or a $26 colon cancer screening once/year then I don't know what to say. I mean, the colon test, PSA, and lipid panel together are $44. That's less than $4/month to pay for that.
That's exactly right. This is at your practice, not all practices. According to my research, a pap smear can cost between 50-200 dollars without insurance. Also, I don't know how your practice goes about this, but you also have to consider the costs associated with being admitted to the clinic or practice. It's not solely the cost of the pap smear test, or any preventable service for that matter, that people without insurance have to deal with.Incorrect, those are the prices at my insurance-free practice.
And I'm sorry, if you can't afford a $23 pap smear every 3 years or a $26 colon cancer screening once/year then I don't know what to say. I mean, the colon test, PSA, and lipid panel together are $44. That's less than $4/month to pay for that.
Maybe it's time we consider switching to a single-payer system where the government provides basic healthcare coverage and people can purchase advanced insurance or pay for elective procedures
So your research is obviously wrong since I offer it for less than $50 and I know of several practices that even have my prices beat.That's exactly right. This is at your practice, not all practices. According to my research, a pap smear can cost between 50-200 dollars without insurance. Also, I don't know how your practice goes about this, but you also have to consider the costs associated with being admitted to the clinic or practice. It's not solely the cost of the pap smear test, or any preventable service for that matter, that people without insurance have to deal with.
You also seem to lack insight into the financial burdens of poor people. A 23 dollar pap smear (which is a rare occurance according to my research) is not regarded as an important financial incentive for someone who is living paycheck to paycheck. They have other incentives, such as keeping their lights on, paying for rent, feeding their children, etc. Lower costs do not eliminate barriers to healthcare treatment, let alone preventable services.
I don't see how my research could be wrong, especially compared to one who is posting anecdotal evidence, at best. Here is my source that suggests the prices of pap smears without insurance is between 50 and 200 dollars:So your research is obviously wrong since I offer it for less than $50 and I know of several practices that even have my prices beat.
You're correct, preventative services are not the only expense the poor have to deal with. But that's the part that got brought up in this thread about good things that the ACA did.
If you can't afford a $23 test once every 3 years, then you qualify for Medicaid. I know very few people, even in free market medicine, that advocate getting rid of Medicaid because there are folks who can't afford even incredible discounted prices.
But, if you can afford even a subsidized ACA plan then you can afford 99% of preventative care and even most primary care if you shop around.
It's very simple, your research is wrong because I know of 23 offices across 8 states (as of earlier today) that offer them cheaper than the $50 your article claims. It is anecdotal evidence but that doesn't make it untrue. Is your article true for most offices? Probably. Can paps be found for much less with fairly minimal effort? Easily.I don't see how my research could be wrong, especially compared to one who is posting anecdotal evidence, at best. Here is my source that suggests the prices of pap smears without insurance is between 50 and 200 dollars:
How Much Does a Pap Smear Cost Without Insurance?
Also, please be wary of the Federal Poverty Level guidelines that determine ones eligibility for Medicaid. The FPL was based on the amount of money that the average household spent on food, which was 1/3 of their budget. This was a random and arbitrary assignment that took place over 40 years ago. Today, the FPL does not accurately represent the distribution of expenditures in American households, with more than 1/3 of the budget going to housing, and about 1/6 of the budget going to food. Basing individuals off of food spending is a big flaw in the current FPL system. Therefore, assuming that individuals who qualify for subsidies can afford a preventative service is misleading.
Nope.I'm gonna toss a question here:
I realise that not every Dr agrees on whether every person has a right to [free] healthcare. Would it be fair to say that majority of Drs across the US support equal access to care? (Meaning that patients have a right to have access to a doctor within reasonable traveling distance/time and within reasonable affordability - I'm not quibbling about the legalese of what constitutes "reasonable". It also means that Drs and Govt have a responsibility to provide care to all parts of the country, but there is no mandate to provide free care.)
If we can agree on access to care, would that be a satisfactory compromise? I know, coming from South Africa, that SA (which is a much smaller country, bear that in mind) has a system of gov't and private hospitals, which could be a possible solution in that vein. The gov't hospitals are cheaper and are staffed largely by students and residents, while the private hospitals cost more and pay more, but usually have slightly better care/budgets.
I am sorry, but I don't believe anyone here has said your anecdotal evidence were not true, but it sure does lower your credibility when you have no sources to back up your claims.Nope.
I mean, we all agree that it would be nice if that happened but no one has yet come up with a way that doesn't involve some combination of higher taxes, lower pay, and forcing people to live where they don't want to.
Because this hasn't been published in a journal because why would it be. But, I can give you a list of now 30+ clinics around the country that offer prices similar to mine. Heck, I'm from SC and there are 6 of us across 4 cities with similar prices.I am sorry, but I don't believe anyone here has said your anecdotal evidence were not true, but it sure does lower your credibility when you have no sources to back up your claims.
Just wanted to throw that out there.