The New Health Dialogue

 

$70 is the price of today’s Groupon, good for a basic office visit at Urgent Care Manhattan (valued at $150). Groupon is an online business that makes large coupons at local businesses available, for one day only, to consumers in cities across the country.

 

The existence of a Groupon for medical services is puzzling. In a world where most people get their care paid for by insurance and never see its actual cost, a coupon is counter-intuitive. Taking a step back, though, it seems to make good sense for all involved.  

 

In general, businesses offering Groupons only make money off the customers who use them if the customers buy something beyond what’s covered. In this case, Urgent Care Manhattan seems perfectly set up for a successful upsell: labs, scans, drugs, and other medical products beyond the basic visit might be necessary, but aren’t included in the deal.

 

The coupon looks like it might be a good deal for some consumers, too. It’s not valid with health insurance, meaning it’s aimed at people without coverage or with very high deductibles. In that sense, it’s a form of extremely low-cost insurance: the buyer pays in advance for the primary care visit he may need before the end of the year. It’s too early to tell if the idea will prove beneficial for patients, but we're guessing this will go down as a win for uninsured consumers.