Do You Accept My Insurance? - The Life of a Hotel Doctor

More than "I'm having chest pain" or "my mother stopped breathing" the most stressful phrase a hotel doctor hears is "Do You Accept My Insurance?"

American insurers look with deep suspicion on housecalls, and I don't know a hotel doctor who bills them. But almost no American has experience handing money directly to a doctor - and a housecall costs a good deal more than an office visit. Many of these guests agree to pay, but I often sense their discomfort. Other doctors are not so picky, but if my callers sound too reluctant I inform them of local walk-in clinics.

Foreign insurers are different. Many call me directly. Resigned to our rapacious medical system, they expect large bills. I charge everyone the same, but I've been contacted by doctor-entrepreneurs who offer triple my usual fee to make their hotel calls in Los Angeles. They can afford this, they assure me, because they charge several thousand dollars for a housecall. They don't seem to be lying because I hear from them regularly.