I learned something about my HMO from a co-worker who is married to a doctor.

He said his wife, the doctor, receives $15.00 per month for each patient that has her listed a their primary care physician. The only other payment she receives is the $20.00 co-pay per visit.

I would think that a doctor could offer a similar form of basic health insurance. Maybe each patient could pay a small fee of say $15-$30 each month then pay a co-pay of a similar amount for each visit. In exchange, the doctor would be available for office visits. Any catastrophic care would need to be covered by a separate policy.

I can't be the only person to think of this idea so does anyone know of a reason it hasn't been done yet?
vivib - I'm not including surgery or any other catastrophic care in my model. I'm only including office visits. A separate policy would need to be purchased for all surgeries. I would also be surprised to find that an ophthalmologist is listed as anyone's primary care physician.