@mayo99824 Thanks for the complete explanation. Here in Arizona more and more of the best doctors are dropping insurance. My neurologist now no longer takes insurance and charges by the hour. In his case I completely understand. He rarely actually touches me during a session; we just talk a lot and the insurance companies typically only allow 15 minutes for a session. So I have stayed with him.

I had a great pain doctor who gave me a caudal steroid shot in my back more than a year ago and it stopped the pain and the pain hasn't come back as yet. But he went concierge and there was another highly rated pain doctor in my general vicinity who took my insurance. So I am hoping that he truly is as good.

My hip/knee surgeon was withdrawn from Medicare and doesn't take insurance. But his fee is a relatively reasonable $5,500 which is less than a Nano Knee (e.g.,) and my insurance covered everything else. With a hip replacement and a knee replacement with no post surgery pain either time I stick with him. I could go on.

The most cost effective medical insurance program in the US, by far, is Medicare. We should offer Medicare for all as an option. But that would require our government to actually care about us rather than the rich folks building data centers who fund their campaigns.