Flat Rock Health Seattle (FRHS) Provides Access to Health Care for Individuals That Need Financial Assistance
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 06, 2014 -- Despite the recent enactment of the Affordable Healthcare Act, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner reported on Jan 31, 2014 that there are still an estimated 250,000 King County residents that still do not have access to quality healthcare. This, coupled with an increasing number of employers that are cutting health benefits to employees such as Target, Home Depot, and Trader Joe’s, equates into a larger percentage of the population on high deductible plans that cannot afford office visits. The deductible of $6350 per calendar year makes access to a doctor financially impossible. Haley B., 31, a server at a local Seattle restaurant states “with such a high deductible, my out of pocket cost to see a doctor is still about $250 when you include labs or tests. Who has that kind of money laying around when you are sick?”
Another increasing trend that is facing the public is the rate of doctors that are not accepting plans off the health exchange. The LA Times reported in early February that a number of individuals who went through the California Health Exchange Program are now having issues with finding a doctor who will accept insurance off the exchange, and that list is dwindling. A blog post from Dr. Das, a board certified Family Medicine and Osteopathic physician (dasfrh.wordpress.com), describes the financial loss for many doctor’s offices which prohibit them from taking on these patients. Many “practices would simply go bankrupt.”
With the increasing numbers of doctors opting out of accepting insurance from the exchange, coupled with increasing cost of healthcare transferred to patients, Flat Rock Health Seattle was founded on the principle to provide affordable, upfront cost health care in an integrated medicine model. Physician and Owner, Dr. Ani Das, states “for a clear mind, we need to have a healthy body. With so many stresses and financial hurdles getting in the way of keeping us healthy and happy, our ambition is for Flat Rock Health Seattle to be that partner that empowers people. We give our patients access to elite physicians, healthcare practitioners, discounted rates on labs, procedures, x-rays, prescription medications, and other services that help our clientele feel their best while not breaking the bank. I went into medicine to help individuals and to develop a sense of community. I got out of traditional medicine in order to spend quality time with my patients and be a guide in the world of health. We spent time to find out how we could help those that still cannot afford quality health care. We feel that our 10 gives Health program does exactly that. Our patients now play a role in helping those in need. Who doesn’t like to help out someone that really needs it?”
The program, 10 GIVES HEALTH, has a lottery system in which new members of the clinic and the community can place names into the lottery pool. At the interval of every 10 new members, Flat Rock Health Seattle will announce a lottery winner and provide them access to the clinic for 1 year. All lottery winners will have the same benefits as members including discounts on medications, procedures, laboratory tests, and all services provided by the clinic. The copay for office visits is $20, which includes the costs for most laboratory tests.
Flat Rock Health Seattle was founded and committed to the principle of providing upfront pricing and affordable health care, in an integrated medicine model. Flat Rock Health is dedicated to the promotion of “Health” as a multidisciplinary process. This process is grounded in the three components of wellness: Health, Lifestyle and Education. Our goal is to be a resource in these three components and to facilitate health in each individual; not measuring success by the absence of disease, instead by the presence of wellness. In turn, defining “health” as a resource for everyday life.
Dr. Anirban Das
Flat Rock Health Seattle
206.248.6652
http://www.flatrockhealth.com
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http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ani-das/16/132/1a6
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Anirban Das, Flat Rock Health Seattle, http://www.flatrockhealth.com, +1 2062586652, [email protected]
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