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The Goodman Institute Health Blog

Author: Devon Herrick

Physicians’ Practices Vary: Some are Good, Some are Bad

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Devon Herrick

I am (generally) a big fan of doctors experimenting with different forms of medical practices. Some doctors are sole proprietors and work mostly alone in their office. Years ago, I went to a doctor who did not accept insurance and would not make appointments. His office was small since he didn’t require a billing staff and was very efficient. His prices were transparent and quite low ($35 office call in 1993).

Another physician, this one from Northern Virginia, pioneered primary care consultations by telephone. Doctalker Family Medicine would do house calls, in-office visits and consultations by phone. Each service came with a different price tag. He did not accept insurance, but his office would help patients fill out an insurance claim form for a modest fee. Most of his consultations were by phone.

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Why A Physician Visit is Sometimes Billed at Inflated Hospital Prices

Posted on August 6, 2023August 5, 2023 by Devon Herrick

Hospitals are the worst place to receive care if there are any other choices. Hospital prices are far higher than the same services available elsewhere. I often tell the story of my wife unknowingly checking on getting a CT scan at a hospital outpatient facility. She discovered that her share of the cost was going to be $2,700. That wasn’t the price; that was just her share of the cost. The price was higher. I quickly found a free-standing radiology clinic willing to do the same procedure for $403. Why was it lower? It wasn’t that one CT scanner was better than the other. It was that one was at the hospital where prices are always higher.

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More States Pass Medical Conscience Bills

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Devon Herrick

A new law in Montana, dubbed Medical Conscience Objection Laws, will provide sweeping protections for medical professionals who do not want to participate in or provide some types of medical care due to conscience.

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Should You Own Your Cells if They’re Valuable?

Posted on August 2, 2023August 1, 2023 by Devon Herrick

Imagine you own a plot of land under which oil is found. Whether or not you have a right to a share of the wealth is determined by whether you own the mineral rights. Suppose you own a field and one day you discover a previous owner buried their life savings on the property 160 years ago. This year the owner of a cornfield in Kentucky found more than 700 gold coins dated between 1840 and 1863 buried on his land. Does he own those coins? Generally, unless there was some compelling evidence that the original owner was the government or it was used in a crime.

How about if your doctor was treating you for cancer and discovered an interesting phenomenon in your cancer cells?

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For many years, our health care blog was the only free enterprise health policy blog on the internet. Then, when the NCPA closed its doors, the health blog stopped as well.

During this five-year hiatus no one else has come forward to claim the space. So, my colleagues and I have decided to restart the blog in connection with the Goodman Institute. We invite you and others to use this forum to share your views.

John C. Goodman,

Visit www.goodmaninstitute.org

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