A family member was referred to a San Mateo ear-nose-throat doctor and was treated promptly and effectively. What was unusual about this story is that the doctor didn't accept insurance or even credit cards. Payment is via cash or check only.
By avoiding the elaborate medical payments bureaucracy Dr. Kelly charges a fraction of what other doctors bill (a good portion of which the insurance companies disallow anyway). He's literally old school, that is, he's eligible for full retirement under Social Security and his nurse-administrator uses a typewriter.
Opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should not fall into the trap of defending the pre-2009 system that has multiple middlemen coming between the doctor and patient. Obamacare may or may not be repealed, but we will not go back to the old system either.
Dr. Kelly's clean, simple, and very old-fashioned method of handling payments won't work in most cases today, but what about tomorrow? Changes in everything, not just health care, are happening more often and more quickly. The one surprise is that people are still surprised when the unexpected happens.
BTW, Dr. Kelly's Yelp rating is five stars.
© 2013 Stephen Yuen
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