Dr. Michael Ciampi in Maine Doesn’t Take Health Insurance, Willing To Barter Or Take Cash

There is a doctor working in Maine who has decided he's not going to accept insurance anymore. Instead he says he's reduced prices so they are affordable for everyone.

Last month, Dr. Michael Ciampi of South Portland, Maine opted out of Medicare, Medicaid and all third-party insurance providers, according to the Bangor Daily News.

By asking patients to pay out of pocket, he has lowered his overhead costs enough to reduce prices by half. Cutting out all the additional paperwork also allows Ciampi to spend more time with his patients, according to WGME. “Instead of working for the government or working for insurance companies, we’re gonna work for the patient,“ he told the news source.

Ciampi began as an independent physician before spending 4 years working for a hospital, according to another report in the Bangor Daily News, but became disheartened by healthcare’s “big impersonal system.“ He is now able to charge as little as $50 for an office visit and $10 for some injections. “I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients,” he told the paper.

Dr. Ciampi joins WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning: