Housecall
A friend in her 70s did not get a flu shot and did get the flu. She phoned her HMO and told her doctor how she felt. After listening to her answers to his quuestions, he made a housecall to check out her lungs.
This sensibly kept her away from the hospital and from the clinic waiting room. Last time I heard of a doctor's housecall was in England, years ago, when a National Health Service doctor came to the house to check on a newly-arrived visitor whose symptoms could have indicated one of those tropical diseases public health services want contained at once.
Israelis have mandatory health care under a multi-provider, single-payer system. An agency similar to the US Social Security payes HMOs the same fee for each person they insure. Citizens pay a health tax to the National Insurance, a tax proportional to their income. People on welfare pay the same percent of their welfare checks as high-tech employees pay of their paychecks.
It seems to work.
Copyright 2011 Jane S. Fox
This sensibly kept her away from the hospital and from the clinic waiting room. Last time I heard of a doctor's housecall was in England, years ago, when a National Health Service doctor came to the house to check on a newly-arrived visitor whose symptoms could have indicated one of those tropical diseases public health services want contained at once.
Israelis have mandatory health care under a multi-provider, single-payer system. An agency similar to the US Social Security payes HMOs the same fee for each person they insure. Citizens pay a health tax to the National Insurance, a tax proportional to their income. People on welfare pay the same percent of their welfare checks as high-tech employees pay of their paychecks.
It seems to work.
Copyright 2011 Jane S. Fox
Labels: health care
posted by Jane S.Fox at 10:52 AM
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