Author Archives: Gary Ratner

Good for you, GPPF!

AEG/WP accurately reported that health coverage costs real money. Annual premiums are: $8,829 in the individual market $6,668 in the small group market $5,845 in the large group market. In the lowest priced large group, members of the vast majority of plans also are subject to at least some cost sharing (deductibles, copayments, and/or coinsurance).Continue reading “Good for you, GPPF!”

Automobiles are fast and affordable: a parable.

Automobiles are fast. Only a few days after finalization of the AEG/WP report in May of 2019, in a city in the Midwest Region of the United States, data was collected for a study of automobile performance. In this study, researchers operated 39 different automobiles for a distance of ten miles one or more times,Continue reading “Automobiles are fast and affordable: a parable.”

Mischievous Foundations?

Early in 2017, I became aware of a policy initiative by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation the gist of which was to expand Medicaid in Georgia to more beneficiaries while, simultaneously, reducing the total per person expenditure on Medicaid to $2500 per annum. The Foundation’s plan also purported to eliminate the burden of uncompensated careContinue reading “Mischievous Foundations?”

Georgia leads the nation … into what?

“Healthcare Innovations in Georgia:Two Recommendations”, the report prepared by the Anderson Economic Group and Wilson Partners (AEG/WP) for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, provides valuable material to deliberations about direct primary care. The AEG/WP team clearly explained their computations and made clear the assumptions underlying their report. This facilitates the public discussion that the GeorgiaContinue reading “Georgia leads the nation … into what?”

The gym club model. For healthcare?

Addressing those new to the idea, direct primary care partisans often start to explain the model by comparing it to membership in a fitness club with nearly unlimited access for a fixed monthly fee. I’m puzzled. Gym clubs are subject to high member churn rates. Is this wise for health care? High churn owes inContinue reading “The gym club model. For healthcare?”

Direct Primary Care Poster Child Qliance has collapsed.

I  had  told  you  that would  happen  and  why. It did, and now 25,000+ people have had less than a month’s notice to make new primary care arrangements. But the whole idea of direct primary care was to have been that these patients chose to pay a subscription fee to Qliance instead of maintaining anContinue reading “Direct Primary Care Poster Child Qliance has collapsed.”

Giant direct primary care pioneer Qliance has turned to online begging.

“No deductibles or copayments, but we have a coin box at the reception desk for your donations.” Qliance, the first corporate provider of insurance-free direct primary care and one of the three largest, seems to be headed down the drain. It has taken to online begging at gofundme.com. Not even ten days before the donationContinue reading “Giant direct primary care pioneer Qliance has turned to online begging.”

Going insurance-free does not, and cannot, reduce the overhead expenses of primary care practices by 60%, or even 40%.

Updated 4/4/21. About 13% of revenue (22% of overhead) according to peer reviewed academic research.  I’ve back-tracked Katherine Restrepo’s and Julie Tisdale’s 2016 claim that: By dealing directly with patients and filing no insurance billing whatsoever, DPC practices are able to eliminate 40-60 percent of their overhead expenses. A footnote there takes you to a 2015 KatherineContinue reading “Going insurance-free does not, and cannot, reduce the overhead expenses of primary care practices by 60%, or even 40%.”