Not All Doctors Are In It for the Money

Doctors get a bad rep sometimes. Because of the high cost of health care in the United States, doctors can be an easy target. Yes, some medical procedures may be pricier than they need be and some doctors are in it for as much money as they can get, but I’d be willing to be that they’re in the minority.

Medical doctors, surgeons, dentists, they’re all like you and me; they’re people who have lives and families, and they care about the people they treat. Many try to do what they can for their less fortunate clients, particularly when times turn badly when it comes to the economy.

That’s why it was nice to read this article, No job, no bill: Physicians tell how they help longtime patients struggling during recession . It shows that, in some areas anyway, doctors are going out of their way to do what they can.

The practice is now offering one free preventative visit and one free Pap smear per year per patient until they are back on their feet with a job and/or medical insurance.

This may not seem like a big thing, but Pap smears save thousands of lives because they can catch precancerous cells before they become cancer. Preventative health visits can help patients avoid problems that will end up costing a ton of money down the road.

Another doctor, a sole practitioner has been doing something like this since the 1980s, offering free care to people in between jobs.

Other doctors find ways to help reduce medication costs by providing samples or changing prescriptions to generics. Others help relieve overflows in local free clinics. In other words, they’re trying to find ways to help patients within what they feel they’re able to do.

Kudos to the doctors for being proactive for their patients who find themselves unemployed and uninsured. Most people don’t forget such kindness and end up paying back in many ways.

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Images: iStock