Font ResizeIn the Reagan years, most employers could afford to offer a variety of affordable health insurance plans to workers.
A lot has changed since then.
Today, about one in 10 Pennsylvanians don't have medical insurance because it's too expensive.
And although the presidential candidates say they have a plan to help the uninsured, there's no easy solution to the problem in sight. That means a rapidly growing number of Americans will avoid seeing a doctor because they can't afford to pay medical bills.
But a local physician has a plan to change that.
Shawn S. Moyer, owner of Pinchot Family Medicine in Warrington Township, will implement a program this month that allows members to pay $30 a month and $15 per doctor visit for any medical service -- including management of high blood pressure, a pregnancy test and urinalysis -- that can be handled in his office.
"It's out of the realm of insurance," Moyer said. "I'm doing this to help people (that insurance companies) are not helping . . . I wouldn't do it without the blessing of the Pennsylvania Insurance Commission office."
Moyer developed his Pinchot Plan after talking to Michael Fine, a Rhode Island physician who created a program called HealthAccessRI. Under that plan, participating practices charge a monthly membership fee and low cost for an office visit. Many participating practices also offer discounts for multiple family members and for automatic monthly credit-card payments.
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"(Fine's) program was successful enough that they expanded it to the state (of Rhode Island)," Moyer said.
After corresponding with Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner's office and chief counsel for nine months, Moyer received a letter that states he is not offering insurance and can pursue the program.
Membership in the plan would include complete primary care, 24-hour telephone coverage, office visits for when people are sick, checkups, well child care, school and sports physical exams, family planning visits, yearly physical examinations, testing and surgeries done in the office.
The plan will not include services such as hospitalization, X-rays or lab work done outside his office.
Yet.
Moyer said he hopes other medical professionals will adopt similar plans.
"I would like to see it expand," Moyer said. "I would be happy to provide physicians with any resources they need to do this . . . I'd love to see other doctors do it."
He also said he talked to some local small businesses that want to participate in his plan because they can't afford to offer health insurance to workers.
That's because rates that physicians are required to charge all patients are based on what insured patients are charged, Moyer said.
"It's a contractual obligation with the insurance company," Moyer said. Many working people make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford health insurance, he said. "It is so frustrating. There are whole industries that are closing down. People are going without insurance."
Moyer expects the Pinchot Plan to be attractive to individuals and families who don't have health insurance, people with health savings accounts or high-deductible health insurance plans, employers looking for an affordable employee benefit and immigrants without documents.
"People need to be able to see a primary-care physician . . . I want people to know exactly what they're getting for what they're paying," Moyer said. "This isn't boutique or concierge medicine, but provides most of the service at a fraction of the cost."
