A Brief History of Health Insurance (A dentist's perspective)- Introduction

  

            In the beginning there was a patient and a doctor. This may seem strange today but at one time a patient would go to a doctor because of one ailment or another and the doctor would examine the patient and then tell them the diagnosis and what the fee to correct, cure or treat the ailment would be. Then the patient could elect to have the treatment and pay the doctor for his services.

            This relationship was made possible because the patient trusted the doctor and conversely the doctor was ethical and prescribed said treatment at a fair fee.

            Today a patient, who has an ailment, first must find a doctor who “takes their insurance”. Calls and makes an appointment once all the necessary information is collected to make sure the patient would be covered for what is yet to be determined is needed. Then at the doctor’s office, after filling out countless forms and paying your copayment before ever being seen, you wait. This could take hours. Then you are called in. A nurse or other auxiliary ushers you into a room where your blood pressure, pulse etc… are taken. Then finally you see a doctor (or a physician’s assistant, a nurse practitioner or a nurse). Now you are examined and a diagnosis is made. Then the doctor will defer to the insurance coordinator to see if this diagnosis and treatment is covered by insurance.  It may be necessary to get authorization from the insurance company to see if they allow this treatment and what the fees may be. The insurance company then decides if this diagnosis and treatment is warranted and then maybe the doctor can schedule you to have the treatment done, maybe.

            Try going to a doctor’s office and asking them a fee for a particular procedure. They will ask you what insurance you have. If you say you are going to pay for it yourself, many offices won’t know what to charge you. The medical doctors are so intertwined with insurance the direct relation of a doctor to a patient is the exception. The surrogate middleman insurance company has now entrenched itself forever into this equation.

            Over the next few months in a series of blogs I will discuss the evolution of health insurance (and then more specifically dental insurance) from its beginnings as a devise to “insure” people against unforeseen health events that could cause financial hardship to today’s big brother insurance companies controlling the patient doctor relation with an ever seeing eye on corporate profit.