Borusa, I couldn't agree more. In fact we do exactly that and often see patients for free. In fact our office policy is if you are uninsured, we charge the medicare allowable. Cataract surgery $500 which also includes about 2 hours of follow-up care in that fee.
Also have worked a deal with the local hospital where they accept $2500 if uninsured instead of the $7k allowed with insurance.
Most Docs typically aren't the arsholes (sic) that most folks think, however there are always exceptions.
I've got a great staff and Doc that I'm very proud to be a part of. All over the age of 40 and most 60 years old +.
Our big to do of the year is our annual Christmas Party. Doc treats us to a nice meal out and minimal present exchanges. Usually runs about $800 to $1200. Last year we forgave the party to pay for a new patient that needed a procedure and was impossible for them to ever have the funds to pay for it. Not saying this to pat ourselves on the back, only to let you know that all Docs are not the robber barrons everyone thinks.
One of the big administrations comment when pushing Obamacare was that the AMA (American Medical Assoc.) was all for it, they failed to mention as oft they do that only about 18% of Docs are members and that they are the liberal 18%. The doc I work for knows no docs that are members of the AMA.
Also there's always the caveat of "next time your having a heart attack, call a lawyer". I wonder how many times that's been put into practice with any success?
