Medpundit writes:

it’s been my experience that most physicians are willing to work with their patients to get those bills paid. Some physicians will accept work in kind – carpentry, landscaping, lawn mowing, etc. or even produce. More commonly, they’ll agree to small payments over time. I have a patient who has been paying me $5 every couple of weeks to settle his bill. And for most primary care doctors, unlike specialists, it would be pretty hard to rack up a big bill. The average office visit costs $50 to $60.

I’m guessing Medpundit doesn’t practice in Montgomery County, Maryland. Around here, office visits cost around $100.

Update: Lots of interesting feedback from readers on this, including a doctor who writes:

Saw your note on doctor office visits. The $100 you quote is that billed to insurance, the $50-$60 is the amount actually paid to the doctor and usually what most family practice docs would charge for a “cash” pay, though fed regulations make that difficult. I know many are willing to “barter” for services, etc.

I work in urban ED, and we see about 35% uninsured, and we collect about 25% from that group, many use fake IDs or addresses, and have no intention of paying. Could you imagine doing the same in a restaurant. But I see it as my “community service” and don’t let it bother me, but many of my colleagues become bitter about this. But I do not believe healthcare is a”right”, but a service that we should seek to create a true open market for. We need to encourage insurers to create real high deductible, affordable insurance for the self employed, underemployed, or uninsured.