The world has achieved another first. A new plateau on our superlative modern technologically advanced society has been reached. As an Adaptive Curmudgeon, I couldn’t be happier!
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Here’s the background: A couple years ago I wrote How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Obamacare. My theory was that Obamacare, by mangling market incentives, would push us toward the standard of customer service associated with cold war Soviet Russia and the Department of Motor Vehicles. No news there…lots of people (myself included) still have the same concern.
However, I envisioned a silver lining. My theory was that Obamacare flushing all Americans down the crapper would spur a countervailing incentive for providers of good and relatively cheap medicine on a “cash for service” basis for those who were willing and able to pay.
I cited three medical systems that currently ignored by most health insurance. They all provide ever better service for those who are willing and able to pay. The cost may be steep but its not growing at the stratospheric rate seen in the rest of medicine and service is excellent. My three examples were boobs, eyes, and teeth.
“Breast augmentation is pretty much covered by no insurance. Therefore, according to certain ways of thinking, it shouldn’t exist. Yet I checked and apparently the procedure is widely available and displayed proudly on some of my favorite Internet venues.”
Why?
“Where insurance fears to tread a competitive market exists.”
I also specifically mentioned optical care:
“…’glasses in an hour’ is not a punchline.”
Which brings me to today’s victory. My glasses “wore out”. It costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $250-$300 to replace them (frames & lenses). I pay cash for this…no insurance involved. Was there a cheaper alternative?
As an “experiment” I ordered prescription glasses on-line. I hoped the cheap on-line glasses would “tide me over” until I could afford a “real” replacement later this year. I expected out of prescription and scratched lenses mounted on flimsy bent frames to arrive six weeks late and broken.
Instead everything worked flawlessly. I ordered on-line at my convenience and after business hours. They came a week later. The new glasses appear to be exactly the same quality as the glasses I usually buy. Win!
Here’s the punchline; they cost 1/3 what I usually pay.
- I didn’t have to drive to a store.
- I didn’t have to talk to a human being.
- The product came to my house in a timely manner.
- The quality looks good (I’ll know for sure after I wear them a few weeks).
- The price was 2/3 less.
I am delighted. Cash is king!