If you’re doing this frequently, often monthly, then realize you’re trapped in a subscription. At a minimum, you have a copay. My guess is you’re spending $50 out of pocket, not including all the driving, time off work, etc. That’s just copays for the visit and meds.
The Business
Did you know that you can start a doctor’s office? Yes, you. Rent a building, decorate it accordingly, hire doctors, nurses, and receptionists, lease a photocopier, spend money on utilities, go through the necessary license requirements to operate a business, pay business taxes, and boom…you’re in business. This is an oversimplification of a very complex industry, but those are the nuts and bolts. How do you pay for this new office? Well, the customer either has insurance, or they do not. Presuming they do, you make them pay a copay. Let’s say that’s $35. $10 is carved out directly to the doctor being seen. $10 pays rent. $10 pays for the office staff, and $5 pays for utilities. These are all very basic numbers, but you get the point. That’s just a copay. The actual visit is billed to your insurance company, and that can be hundreds or thousands. Either way, if your insurance company doesn’t cover all of the bills, then you’re billed the balance. Often this can be as much as 20% or more of the actual visit. Alternatively, you have cash-paying clients. They pay the total bill, which is often reduced below what an insurance company pays. The caveat is most people have to pay that amount in full at the time of the visit. It’s rare, but offices can set up payment plans with clients they trust.
When you realize this doctor’s office is a business, and the more frequently that revolving door sees you coming in, the more they make. If you stopped going to that particular office, do you really believe you’ll be missed beyond your money? To answer this better, consider how many Christmas or birthday cards you got from them. Sure, they may be nice to you when they see your familiar face, but I’ll bet they didn’t send you a card. I’ll bet your insurance agent did though! Soon you might understand that you’re more than likely just another paying customer to them, and a face in the crowd. If you’re gone tomorrow, they’ll have someone else. I’m not saying doctors are heartless people who don’t have concerns for you. Of course, they do. But you’re likely not their best friend. If you were, they’d give you advice and a prescription without ever stepping foot in the building, right?
The Cost of Eating
What’s the real cost of eating healthy now? What could that $50 buy you for a week’s worth of healthy food? At $10/lb grass finished steak, that’s 5lbs of steak. 16oz per day, 5 days. Cut that in half, and you have 2 meals a day for 5 days for $50. Now put all the other costs of travel associated with the doc visit towards travel to the grocery store, after work, when it’s more convenient to you. The store isn’t sending you a $200 bill for food your insurance company didn’t pay for. Before long, it doesn’t take much to realize how much our dietary intake is really costing us in dollars, especially if it’s a monthly subscription.
Now don’t get me wrong. Doctors serve a vital function. We cannot live without them. However, we can live without all the drugs and medical devices if we simply take control of our own health. This starts by paying much closer attention to the good things we put in our bodies to begin with rather than trying to control the symptoms from all the bad things we consume. As you dive deeper into the topic of what goes in, you’re going to learn some eye-opening information that is so simple, it may surprise you.