Gap i will disagree with you about dr's costs being so high so the 1/3 doesnt apply i know dentist that get their crowns directly from china for $15-$20 and they still charge $1500 or more no mater which way you look at it they screw us down hard then charge the patient too much and then complain how expensive everything is .In their eyes they are the only ones aloud to make a buck because they deserve it ,I even heard one dentist at a meeting say after all they are the elite not one dentist in a room of 30 disagreed with him.
a dr might charge $1500 but if hes participating with say, United Concordia, he only gets $500-600 for a cr insert. So what percentage of pt actually pay full fee?--who knows? and no joke, i saw a $12 check from the insurance paid the dr for an extraction. How many dr are there that don't participate with any insurance? I bet not many, and dr's get squeezed by them. Trust me, the 1/3 rule doesn't apply to dentists and their overhead. the risk in a dental practice is high as well, HIPPA is a huge PIA and there steps for compliance are intricate. this all effects their costs to do business.
When drs send to china even when they're being paid full fee is disgraceful, IMO if the pt is paying more, they should get more. but my point is maybe their not always getting paid for their work.
A lot of dr's will have egos the size of mt everest and think they're elite. I won't disagree with you, but I don't want to comment on the mentality, i just wanted to add that there is a financial element in there too.
