The concept of concierge care is shifting toward a more ecumenical model, in which the approach once relegated to the wealthy can reach the masses. Companies such as Qliance in the Seattle area are providing employers with basic primary care services for as little as $54 a month, according to The New York Times. The concept comes from concierge physician models created about a decade ago for wealthy patients and has since developed to provide employer groups with easier access to preventative care that can cut costs.
Becker Trucking, a Seattle freight company, retained Qliance for its drivers, whose working conditions often make them prey to chronic health issues, according to the newspaper. Under the concierge retainer model, Becker Trucking's healthcare costs dropped 11 percent in 2010, compared to annual cost increases approaching 15 percent.
One of the key approaches to of the new concierge model is that the practices generally do not accept insurance and instead provide unlimited services for a membership fee.
"Health insurance is supposed to protect you against risk, like car insurance does," Erika Bliss, Qliance's CEO and a family practitioner, told the newspaper. "We don't insure our cars for tire changes and tune-ups."
In Northern California, a primary care physician Hasana Qamar founded a direct primary care firm called MedLion, which charges around $39 a month, plus $10 for an office visit, according to KQED.
"We don't think primary care needs insurance," Qamar told KQED. "I think it's ridiculous to pay $500 a month to be treated for a sinus infection every spring. Insurance should be saved for the catastrophes."
For more information:
- read the New York Times article
- read the KQED article