what’s inside?
IN THIS ISSUE September 2015: Insurance By Jay Conyers, PhD
MCMS Executive Director Jay Conyers, PhD jconyers@mcmsonline.com 602-251-2361
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here can not be a more controversial word in medicine than insurance. It’s what puts food on the table for most physicians, and it’s what drives many out of the practice of medicine. It’s the safeguard that many Americans still don’t have, and those who do have it don’t truly understand it until they need it. If there’s one thing all can agree on, it’s that insurance has become too complex and too pervasive in the practice of medicine.
I was curious to know how insurance came about, so I first asked one of the Society’s longest tenured members, Dr. Paul Jarrett (also our profile physician for our November membership issue!). A Society member since 1946, Dr. Jarrett provided the following explanation when I asked him about how and when the system changed and physicians no longer got paid directly by patients:
Indeed I remember when most physician fees were paid out of pocket. There were some drawbacks in that many were never paid, but there were advantages in that there was no third party to come between the patient and his physician. The patient was attended by the doctor of his choice, and the doctor had the right to refuse service.
No lay clerk determined what surgical procedure would be authorized nor how long the patient would be hospitalized, what medications would be covered or what accommodations would be approved, or indeed if another doctor would be selected to attend the patient in hospital. It was improper to give the physician the responsibility for an unfavorable outcome in a malpractice action while interfering with his decisions. There was a minimum of paperwork. Some physicians found sure payment to be 4 • Round-up Magazine • September/October 2015