Maine Doctor Not Accepting Any Insurance Anymore, Posts Prices Online

Shape of things to come?

Dr. Michael Ciampi took a step this spring that many of his fellow physicians would describe as radical.

The family physician stopped accepting all forms of health insurance. In early 2013, Ciampi sent a letter to his patients informing them that he would no longer accept any kind of health coverage, both private and government-sponsored. Given that he was now asking patients to pay for his services out of pocket, he posted his prices on the practice's website.

Comments

[JasonTromm]

This isn't radical. I know a doctor with a similar policy for years. He stopped accepting insurance for any patients except for his most elderly patients on Medicare.

[chorizo]

It might not be radical, but it's important to the future of medical care that it happens. Obamacare's elimination of the price mechanism guarantees that cost of medical care will go up and quality will go down. The only doctors and hospitals who can survive a cash-based market with consumers who price shop are the ones who provide the best care at the lowest price.