When it comes to making health decisions, it is essential to examine both pros and cons, to come up with the most sensible decision. This applies especially in choosing the best health care model.
The concierge care model is emerging as a trending model in the American health care system. It entails paying additional fees to avail enhanced and more personalized services from your doctor.
While this model sounds enticing, you must consider a careful assessment of different factors first to determine if concierge medicine fits your health needs.
Of course, additional and direct services would mean additional cost too. According to the Health Journal, concierge medicine can cost you a hundred to thousands of dollars per year outside of your insurance. The annual concierge fee is likely to range anywhere from $1,500 or $1,800, to $3,500, and in some cases significantly more.
If you are to compute it monthly, the average cost of concierge medicine range from $77 to $183 a month, based on the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Patients who plan to avail concierge medicine should be aware that they still need to keep their regular insurance. Although concierge medicine can cover regular physician visits, insurance is still necessary to pay for emergency health situations, operations, and more serious illnesses like heart diseases, requiring medical specialists like surgeons etc.
Money is not the sole factor that contributes to some concierge medicine cons. With the fast-paced shift of patients from traditional to more advanced health care models like concierge medicine, doctors are also urged to adjust to the trend.
As a result, some health organizations worry that doctors will be attracted to this model due to higher pay, leaving low-income patients with lesser care due to the more focus given to those who can pay.
With the nationwide shortage in primary care physician, some critics from the Health Journal see concierge medicine as a model that creates a "two-tiered health system" for those who can and cannot afford. This is one of the debatable disadvantages of concierge medicine.
People who could not afford the retainer fee of their doctors who switched to a concierge practice might be forced to find a new doctor. They also argue the effects of this on families under economic pressure by making health care selective and exclusionary.
Concierge medicine offers long-term health and financial returns. Although it may seem like you are spending more by acquiring a concierge medicine subscription on top of your insurance plan, (yes, the former does not replace the latter) the reality may surprise you.
Not only does concierge medicine give you the freedom to reduce your insurance plan to a cheaper one (you’ll only ever need a premium that covers hospitalization expenses and in-patient services once you have a concierge medicine subscription), it also frees you from the worries of unexpected costs and overcharges.
Now that you are presented with the list of concierge medicine pros and cons, you should take some time to sit down and weigh in both the advantages of concierge medicine and the disadvantages of concierge medicine that you can get.
Health is an important investment. In making whatever health decision, the best strategy is to evaluate the pros of concierge medicine against the cons of concierge medicine based on your individual needs before entering into any agreement.
By doing so, you can avoid any drastic decisions and ensure that you will get the best value for your money when it comes to health care.
Join the movement for improved patient-centred care and see a concierge doctor in your area today. Find your nearest concierge doctor at – findmydirectdoctor.com
