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> We considered trying OneMedical, which opened an office close to where we live. But when I looked into it, it seemed like you have to buy a subscription up-f

> We considered trying OneMedical, which opened an office close to where we live. But when I looked into it, it seemed like you have to buy a subscription up-front, with no other way to try it out. We might have made the switch by now if they had made it easier to try. In many (most?) states, they are actually legally required to offer services to you without a subscription, but you won't be able to use the app. In other words, you have to call them like a normal doctor's office and book an appointment, and when you do, they will have to provide you the same medical care and services that they would for any other patient. This is not specific to One Medical; it's due to laws that prohibit additional fees for medical services. In a similar vein: in many states you can use the Costco pharmacy even without a Costco membership, although you can't buy anything else while you're there. That said, you're not really missing out. One Medical's entire shtick is that they have a slick UX and "appointments start on time" (in theory). In practice, their medical care is... let's say variable, at best. You're paying for a slick UI and convenience slapped on top of a care delivery system that's no better than what you might get elsewhere.

sadfsdafklj 3y ago
> In many (most?) states, they are actually legally required to offer services to you without a subscription For emergency services from hospitals that provide emergency services, that's true. But for virtually anything else I don't think it is.
- chimeracoder 3y ago
  > For emergency services from hospitals that provide emergency services, that's true. But for virtually anything else I don't think it is. You're thinking of a separate law, which requires emergency rooms to provide emergency medical services to all patients if they accept Medicare or are attached to a hospital which accepts Medicare. (This is one of the reasons that there's been a proliferation of standalone for-profit emergency rooms in the last several years - it's a way to bypass this requirement and serve only the most profitable patients). That's separate from what we're talking about here.
  - sadfsdafklj 3y ago
    If you're talking about EMTALA, it has nothing to do with Medicare. What law do you think prohibits people from charging subscription fees? Because AFAIK every state in the union has concierge medicine.
    - chimeracoder 3y ago
      > If you're talking about EMTALA, it has nothing to do with Medicare. Literally the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page about EMTALA: > It requires hospital emergency departments that accept payments from Medicare to provide an appropriate medical screening examination (MSE) to anyone seeking treatment for a medical condition, regardless of citizenship, legal status, or ability to pay.
  - schmookeeg 3y ago
    I've been wondering about that proliferation. I suspected something like this. It seems particularly out of control in Texas in the Dallas suburbs. Thanks for this connection. :)

sadfsdafklj 3y ago

> In many (most?) states, they are actually legally required to offer services to you without a subscription For emergency services from hospitals that provide emergency services, that's true. But for virtually anything else I don't think it is.

chimeracoder 3y ago
> For emergency services from hospitals that provide emergency services, that's true. But for virtually anything else I don't think it is. You're thinking of a separate law, which requires emergency rooms to provide emergency medical services to all patients if they accept Medicare or are attached to a hospital which accepts Medicare. (This is one of the reasons that there's been a proliferation of standalone for-profit emergency rooms in the last several years - it's a way to bypass this requirement and serve only the most profitable patients). That's separate from what we're talking about here.
- sadfsdafklj 3y ago
  If you're talking about EMTALA, it has nothing to do with Medicare. What law do you think prohibits people from charging subscription fees? Because AFAIK every state in the union has concierge medicine.
  - chimeracoder 3y ago
    > If you're talking about EMTALA, it has nothing to do with Medicare. Literally the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page about EMTALA: > It requires hospital emergency departments that accept payments from Medicare to provide an appropriate medical screening examination (MSE) to anyone seeking treatment for a medical condition, regardless of citizenship, legal status, or ability to pay.
- schmookeeg 3y ago
  I've been wondering about that proliferation. I suspected something like this. It seems particularly out of control in Texas in the Dallas suburbs. Thanks for this connection. :)