doctors within borders

They call themselves Remote Area Medical . They are a lot like Doctors Without Borders except instead of going to far flung areas of the planet, the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps stays right here in the United States providing health care to Americans in the poorest, most remote regions.

So what backwoods distressed region of disease and pestilence are they flying to next?

To Los Angeles on August 11-18, 2009.

That's right. Los Angeles (County) ranks as the 16th largest economy on planet earth with a GDP larger than all but 15 nations. Just to be clear: L.A. County's GDP is bigger than Russia, Taiwan, Argentina, Switzerland and France.

The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps is going to L.A. to "provide free MEDICAL, VISION, and DENTAL care for uninsured, underinsured, unemployed, under-employed persons".

Not sure if they're bringing The Four Horsemen with them.

AUGUST 11 - AUGUST 18, 2009
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
at
THE FORUM in INGLEWOOD
3900 W Manchester Blvd

beginning at 5:30AM daily

Info HERE

minute clinic at CVS pharmacy... the 99 cent model begins

It's just basic screening and prevention at affordable rates. Seems simple enough.

They accept most insurance. If the procedure you desire isn't covered by your plan you just pay with cash/credit card. But if your insurance doesn't cover these simple things, you gotta ask yourself: "Why exactly am I footing a monthly bill for health care that doesn't cover my health care?"

A fully transparent rate card reveals their list of services. The easy things at the low-risk and low-end.

I clicked around the site and under the basic Health Screening (for heart disease, diabetes and stroke) I found this:

"Service available in all states except: Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania."

Why, because 66 bucks is too low to charge? What? I don't understand.

The $30 Hypertension screening not available in Massachusetts. Again... why? There are a lot of sausage-chomping angry dudes there; they could use some help.

Not a new idea. It's a growth market: Med-Basics is in the game. Wal-Mart contracts various regional health care companies. Rite-Aid in California has Lindora for Weight Loss and Wellness services. Walgreens has Take Care Clinic .

Everyone and their Mom is doing it.

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  UPDATE - July 30, 2009 :
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Took my girlfriend to a Minute Clinic today to see about her chronic allergies.

flat rate health care illegal in New York

Not-overcharging for primary health care is apparently illegal in the state of New York. At least that is what State Insurance Regulators say.

Reuters article here

I guess they didn't get their  bribe  cut of the profits.

When things like this happen, the words "conspiracy" and "monopoly" and "asshole health insurance cabal" come to mind.

I don't see the problem. It clearly states on AMG's website: "this is not insurance".

Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it, ya overreaching bureaucratic dinosaurs.

$79 unlimited preventative care in NYC: AMG Medical Group

noninsurance clinics... the Subsrciption Health Care alternative

This Reuters Article details a Seattle clinic that costs $99 to join and a flat rate of $39 to $119 per month. quit anytime, no one is rejected for pre-existing conditions.

For that you get "unrestricted round-the-clock primary care access and 30-minute appointments".

While Congress bickers over how to pay for the trillion dollar national health care plan, Seattle doctors are actually doing something.


Qliance Medical Group in Seattle.