Quote:
Originally Posted by CFrance
But will you be able to use doctors at all locations? For instance, if you love the internist at one and the cardiologist at another, can you see both?
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Apparently (I say "apparently" because, thanks to superficial reporting by The Daily Sun, other than the notion that doctors will be like Marcus Welby, few details are available), we are talking about a Medicare advantage system. That is, it will be an HMO, owned and operated by the Developer on a for-profit basis. Participating doctors, according to Morse's speech, will be paid a flat fee per patient, thus removing the economic incentive to run a lot of unnecessary tests. On the other hand, there will be a disincentive to running tests in borderline situations if the doctor thinks he can dodge a malpractice suit if things go wrong.
I don't know how all this will work out, but I prefer traditional Medicare, where I can choose my own doctors-- not just doctors who participate in the advantage plan and are disincentivated from running tests since the doctors are paid on a per-patient basis. On the other hand, I have many friends who are happy with a Medicare advantage plan, and from an economic-policy standpoint, the advantage plans seem to be more efficient and cost effective.
In any event, this new business venture by the Developer will bring more doctors (we will see about their quality) and medical facilities to The Villages, which are needed for our growing population. Participation is voluntary. Nobody has to sign up for it if it doesn't seem appealing, and, apparently, from what we have been told so far, it should be a win-win situation for the Developer and Villagers.