Ben Swann – by Joshua Cook South Carolina Doctor Mike Vasovski has joined a growing group of doctors and taken his medical practice off the insurance grid.
Last week Dr. Vasovski wrote on his Facebook page:
“My medical practice has gone off line. Effective yesterday, the computers that contain patient’s account information including billing diagnosis, have been completely de-linked from the internet. Therefore, your health information is completely secure. Accounting will be done in house with Quickbooks on a PC that is not connected to the internet. We are moving towards a payment at time of service model in which my practice does not participate with insurance companies. Fees will be truly affordable and your medical records will not be in a format that can be accessed electronically. Peace and Liberty, Dr. Mike Vasovski.”
In an interview with Joshua Cook, he discussed a variety of reasons – both ideological and practical – for his choice, and described the effects of these actions on patients. Vasovski showed how such practices could keep a free market healthcare system alive even as Obamacare takes effect.
“Off grid” or “cash only” practices collect money directly from the patient at the time of service. Vasovski described two off grid payment models, one in which doctors charged a per month fee in which people could visit as often as necessary, and one in which there is simply a reasonable office visit charge. Vasovski’s practice has chosen the second model with a $45 benchmark, and says that is enough to provide most services because most vaccinations and other shots are being provided by pharmacies.
“So we’re not responsible for buying those things, storing them and counting them and that kind of stuff.” Adding that cost-saving development to the nearly $6000/year saved on insurance software, this becomes an increasingly viable business model. There is also a huge number of generic drugs – over 300 – available for $4/month at major pharmacies. “That’s less than a 6-pack and it gets you a month worth of your medicines.”
The direct payment business model has a number of benefits for both practices and patients. One of the most topical is security. Because Vasovski’s office isn’t connected to insurance companies, he has been able to take his entire practice off the internet. No hackers, Assange-like activists, or government entities can access any patient information, like Social Security numbers or health problems.
Even the most “secure” encryption services cannot provide that assurance. He even described a telephone call in which a salesperson tried to sell him a 284 bit encrypted program. When Vasovski asked him what he thought of Julian Assange, he replied that he didn’t know who that was. “At that point I said, ‘you’re trying to sell me a computer security program and you don’t know who Julian Assange is?’”
Another benefit Vasovski described is lowered costs. With insurance companies acting as the middle man, there is no check on costs because there is no incentive to cut back on costs. Insurance companies earned more the higher the prices, and consumers aren’t paying the bill. “So it looks like healthcare costs more, but that’s not the true bottom line.” In fact employers had to deal with most of the costs of care. “In the price of a new car from GM, like 14-15% of the cost of the car is nothing but health insurance.”
Vasovski also said that the off grid system improves the doctor patient relationship. “You do spend a little more time – not less time – you spend more time with them, and by design, you’re going to be a little bit more interested in satisfying them than if it’s just a checkmark on a sheet with the bill going to the insurance company.”
On a more ideological level, the direct payment model also gets back to the true nature of insurance. “If you’re dealing with no deductible or a $20 co-pay for a visit or something, it’s not really insurance because then it’s like going to eat at the Golden Corral. Once you’re in you get to eat all you want.” People don’t use car insurance for oil changes; they use it for wrecks. A $5000 deductible means people can use insurance for any major event – even a broken leg will cost about $10,000 to fix and any emergency room visit will start at $2,500 – while paying $45 for simple visits. A high deductable “turns it into real insurance. It’s only used when there is something really bad, and the rest of the stuff you have to pick up on your own. Then you become a very good shopper.”
Dr. Vasovski eliminated the insurance aspect of his practice because he could provide better care cheaper on a free market system. Many doctors who are currently deliberating whether to keep their practices open may choose to convert to such a system, too. Direct pay programs, along with generic drugs and pharmacy-provided shots and vaccinations, mean that the free market will continue to play a role in healthcare and insurance.
Read more: http://benswann.com/exclusive-dr-mike-vasovski-discusses-reasons-for-going-off-the-insurance-grid/#ixzz2iOU8N1pX
Follow us: @BenSwann_ on Twitter
What a fantastic idea….
Lets hope this catches on in the health industry….
Back in the 80’s I met a girl that had spent the entire 70’s in Stockholm – I’ll never forget = she said when she first got there; that there was this health care, that was “free”, just walk in any time, etc – it was wonderful – But, within 5 years you couldn’t get an appointment – and even if you did, your chances of seeing the Doctor might be nil – because most (Doctors) had quit and done exactly what this guy is doing (Cash, etc) – anyway, by the time she left, she said it was cheaper, faster and easier to take the boat to Copenhagen, pay the clinic, buy the medicine, and take the boat back to Stockholm . . . . . .. Go figure . . . . . . Yeah, Obamacare looks like it will work great, doesn’t it
Believe it or not, Mexico has a great medical system, as far as Americans going over there and getting treatment. It’s like 80% cheaper, and they are allowed to use alternative treatments that the US will throw a doctor in prison for here. You know, like vitamins, minerals, et
and they even have cures for disease over there. hahaha
Smilardog, I live within 50 miles of Mexico and know of a couple of people that are doing just that, right now. In fact a friend commutes to Rosarita Beach every few weeks – I think they have a medical center down there that he goes to – 20-25% of the costs that would be here.
I live on the border and a lot of people go over there for just about everything. Automotive service, medical, cigs, alcohol, dentist, alkinds of things.
I always ask folks to name one Fed or state agency that works great, is cheaper now than before….and they can’t . Bobocare will be the same.
Hey, Cathleen you beat me by minutes sending this in to post. hehe
This is funny because a couple days ago I asked my wife to ask our family doctor if she needed any handyman work done around her office or home that I would do for a credit on medical work in the future. Because I ain’t signing up for nothing on “Not Affordable Health Care Act” !!!!
And I also told my wife to change her W-4 form at work to change it to where they take out less in income taxes so we don’t have any tax return at the end of the year for them to take any penalties out of for not signing up for the “Not Affordable Health Care Act” Our family is calling it null and void and will not comply!! I don’t know of anyone that is signing up for it.
One more thing Smilardog be sure to keep a very low balanced bank account for they will be able to lift money right from your bank and you might not even know it till it happens.
Wise advise, Susan – any inquiry with a bank officer, these days, will apprise you of weekly horror stories going on in the industry – this just adds to the list of attackers – no account will be safe in the future – and your chances of getting improvidently taken funds back are slim, fat, and none.
Very wise advice. I’m going to have to keep some kind of medical insurance, because one accident or medical emergency where I’d wind up in the ER, then on to the ICU, then a hospital bed for a day or two would run in the area of $300,000 dollars and I ain’t got that kind of cash.
W/O medical insurance, I’d be wiped out and living in a cardboard box.
I’m going to set up a dedicated checking account for the ‘Obamacare’ insurance and have the amount needed each month automatically deposited, then siphoned off by an insurance company.
DON’T let them have access to your main checking or savings account, unless you want it cleaned out.
My daughter is doing this right now with her Dr. in San Diego for a health issue that ended up with her being in the hospital. The very next month she lost her job and her health insurance was discontinued by her employer. So she is paying her Dr. on a monthly basis.
Doctors always did take cash and other forms of payment, and some doctors offer a nice discount over insurance.
So will diagnostic centers. I called a diagnostic center a few months ago to tell them I have no insurance and asked them what kind of a discount they would offer for someone in my situation who would be paying cash. The discount was 40-50%.
So I think people can do so much better without insurance companies for the smaller stuff. And maybe the only thing insurance is good for would be for a catastrophic situation that lands one in the hospital.
. . .
I had a close loved one addicted on heroin. Here in the U.S. they give you methadone (patented by rockefellers), or religious groups that want to brainwash you. I found a cure called “ibogaine” but of course, its illegal in the U.S. It is a gosh darn HERB that grows in the ground in Africa. I sent her there and it was much cheaper than anything in the U.S. She was cured in a week and now 3 years clean. I suggested this to others and it worked for them too…Look up the testimonials on youtube, nobody knows of this cure, and why it is illegal in the U.S.? you already know. Its not the best for alcoholism, because you have to stop drinking for 7 days before they will take you, but for pills, meth, heroin, it is a cure, 7 days.
I’ve read some great stuff about Ibogaine. Youtube has some videos on the curing powers of that wonderful plant.
Oh yes, excellent for narcotic addiction.In fact there is – I think – two centers that actually use ” Ibogaine Tabernath” – I think that is how you spell that second part of that name
hopefully they will start a site where we can locate local docs that are doing this.
Thanks for posting. I like reading things that dont anger me.