Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 11, 2014 -- With the recent passing of the Affordable Care Act, the self-employed and employees of small businesses of less than fifty employees are left with few attractive options. This demographic is beginning to explore other options including alternative medicine.
Scandinavians and Australians have been early adopters of alternative therapies with 1 in 4 Danes utilizing some form of non-traditional medicine, and over half of Australians. Sadly, the United States didn’t even crack the Top 10 on either lists.
However, the most widely accepted form of alternative medicine in the United States, osteopathy, can now be found in many major hospitals. Ten-percent of doctors nationwide are licensed as Doctors of Osteopathy. Their training regimen and residency requirements parallel that of Medical Doctors (MD’s) with additional training concerning the anatomy of the body and osteopathic manipulative techniques.
One of these osteopaths, Dr. Chris Larson, started Austin Osteopathic Family Medicine (Austin OFM) last December in Austin, Texas, after leaving a lucrative career in the financial services.
He’s extended the alternative approach even further, by not accepting any form of health insurance, opting instead for a direct primary care, subscription-based model. Even his high-end plans run less than $100 per month.
By coupling this approach with a lower cost, high-deductible catastrophic plan plus Health Savings Account, patients are seeing hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of dollars in annual savings. The catastrophic plan also provides a safety net in case of an accident or illness that requires a hospital stay.
Dr. Larson elaborates, “We are attempting to return to the old doctor patient relationship, which includes longer, more personalized visits. My patients truly appreciate being seen on time, not being rushed, and knowing the cost of their treatment before the visit begins.”
Small business owners, especially startups with only a handful of employees, would be well-served to explore direct primary care and osteopathy as a best value and higher service option in this new era of health care.
Nate Wright, Small Biz Triage, http://www.smallbiztriage.com, +1 (530) 636-0302, [email protected]
Share this article