How Much Would You Pay?
April 8, 2008 by Kailani
Filed under random thoughts
I was recently watching television when a familiar commercial came on featuring a local chiropractor. If you live in Hawaii, you’ll know who I’m talking about because he’s very well known for his very unusual payment plan.
It’s called an “honor box” and basically, before you leave his office he’ll let you know what your bill is and you just pay whatever you can. Seems like a strange way to run a business but it must be working for him since he’s been practicing a long time now. But I have to wonder how many people actually pay what they owe?
Of course, I would never ask anyone to openly disclose their thoughts so I decided to put up an anonymous poll instead. If you would like to, you may elaborate your thoughts in the comments below. Curious minds want to know. Well, at least I do!
And speaking of paying, don’t forget to enter my latest giveaway for a TurboTax Software Program for all you procrastinators out there! Stop by An Island Review and enter today!
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Owner of An Island Life and Family Review Network. Wife, mother, and flight attendant . . . living a blessed life in Hawaii. |
I’m not embarrassed to admit that I would pay my bill in full. I would want people to pay me for my services rendered. Karma!
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well, I would pay as much as I could. If I really felt I needed chiro then I would have to look at being willing to pay. that said sometimes I think doctors charge outlandish fees for small things so it would depend on the charge amount.
I’ve been to a chiro that charged $35 for treatment (I had no insurance) and one that charged $65+. I’m not sure I would pay the $65 unless it was a super special visit.
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When I was a kid my older cousin went to a chiro that only had a donation basket, too.
My mom said it was because he wasn’t licensed nor qualiified…. and as long as he didn’t charge anything he could get away with it.
Maybe the laws are different now. However, I’d be very cautious.
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I would have to say I would pay as much as I could. So if I could afford the full fee, then I’d pay it. That’s pretty much it.
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If it works I guess I would pay what I could afford.
oh and I recieved my diaper clutch and burp cloth in the mail and I LOVE IT!!
Thank you ever ever so much
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I’m with everyone else in that I would pay what I could…however much I had, then, in it would go.
Funny about “honor boxes”…here, in Japan, and especially near the agriculture areas, you’ll find little stands with mikans (oranges) and vegetables….and a box for you to put your money into…there will be prices of what they want you to pay….and it’s funny, but I’ve never thought about it…I always pay what they are asking. A friend came to visit one time and asked “what’s to keep someone from just taking the fruit?”…..my husband answered with another question, “wouldn’t that person feel guilty?”
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I wonder if people are more willing to pay full price when the person isn’t expecting the full amount. Like reverse psychology in a way. I don’t know if that makes any sense, hard to explain in typing.
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I would have to pay the full amount! What a GREAT guy to do such a nice service for someone who maybe can’t make the full payment!!! =)
GREAT GUY!
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For me i would pay the full amount because i would expect others to do the same when it comes to my African safari business otherwise i wouldn’t last long considering that i would still have to pay my suppliers the hotels etc.
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His fees might not be as high as others because he probably doesn’t take insurance. I bet he’s paid more through the honor box than he would collect from the insurance companies. What a great way to do it.
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I don’t know since I don’t have a lot of faith in chiropractors since that one tried to rip us off a few years back. See a friend of mine had recommended that we see one and DH was having back problems. well this quack that we went to had this silly “Life plan” thing that he wanted to sell to not only Dh with the back problem but to everyone in the entire family. And the sad thing was that he admitted that DH’s problem was not bad enough to warrent any treatment other than the maintenence plan. So for this idiot I believe that we paid for the initial treatment and that was it! This of course was after he had us all come in and gave us an education on the wonderful benefits of chiropractic care. *eyeroll!*
However, if this guy had been a non-quack and had treated DH honestly and not been such a money grubber, we would have happily paid him any amount that he wanted.
So instead we will seek treatment at a physical therapist.
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I’d have to say it depends on whether he quotes a reasonable rate, i.e., how it compares to other chiropractors. If it’s comparable or less, then I would pay the full amount. But it could be that he quotes a higher rate, figuring that most people pay less, in which case I would only want to leave the comparable amount.
The licensing question is an interesting one, too. If he’s not licensed or protected by some sort of malpractice insurance, then I think he should get less money than a fully licensed & insured chiropractor would get.
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If I did not have enough, I would pay what I had. And then pay the rest on the next visit.
I usually, when visiting a therapist, leave a tip. I am medically need and can pay. I would be such a mess, If it was not for my therapies, acupuncture, massages, etc..for my MS… They should always be a part of your healthcare team. It is so beneficial.
When I worked at the Cancer Center we had a program for our clients where they would receive for free…..6, 1 hour sessions with a therapist that specialized in treatment for cancer patients. (Cancer patients cannot get certain types of massages.) We also had other types of therapies, such as hypno therapy, acupuncture, nutritionists and others.
These therapists and most therapists you find, are thoughtful, giving and have tremendous apathy for people in need. Helping someone in need, that cannot pay,…. is their way to fulfill their need to be a humanitarian.
People that can’t pay, but are in need, should not feel guilty or ashamed to accept their gift to you, because the therapists WANT to give back. You can give back in other ways, pay it forward some other way. But, nothing is more important then your health and well being.
I don’t think anyone that reads your posts would be the type to take advantage of anybodies generosity towards the less fortunate. There are good people here, and that is why I come to read.
This is a important subject since I would see how the treatments would really make a difference in the treatment of our patients illness as a whole.
You would not believe, when healthy folks heard about these therapists, some would come in and try to get free treatments by saying they had cancer! We would find no evidence that they ever had cancer, and tell them nicely to try and contact doctors to prove they did. One lady brought in a forged prescription sheet from a doctor down in Seattle. When we called their office, she was not even a patient there! That was so shameful.
So, I am sure people do take advantage of him. I just hope he has a system in place to recognize these people, I am sure he does
Sorry, I am the chatter box, in which I am sure you will not be wanting to donate too!
I would pay the full, unless I absolutely couldn’t… but I would go back and add to the basket as soon as I could!!
I would definitely pay full as well. Now if we were in a financial bind and one of us really needed to be seen then at that time I would give as much as I could.
I love what this guy is doing though. I like the saying You Reap What You Sow!
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I would pay what is posted. As long as it’s reasonable & customary of course.
While in Maui, we came upon several fruit stands & banana bread stands that were on the honor system as well. We paid what was posted. We never even considered paying less.
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I just read about a restaurant that is surviving on the same concept. Those who can’t pay are still welcome to eat, and those who can afford to often pay extra.
The owners said they are breaking even right now, but I suspect that after the article was written they will see a slight uptick in business. One of the most touching comments was when they talked about families w/out a home bringing their children in for the first fresh produce they’ve had in a week.
It’s a nice concept as long as there are people who are willing to help and not too many willing to take advantage.
I’d pay full price if I was able. It’s great that he does this though. I’m sure that there are many people that can’t afford to pay full price or to see a physical therapist so this is a great alternative.
My uncle had a bad run in with a chiro. He went for an adjustment and everything was ok. As he was driving home from the apointment he had a massive stroke and died. Turns out that an artery in his neck was ruptured during the visit. Freak accident.
I’ve had great results with chiro’s though. I was in a wreck in 2006 and if it were not for a chiro I don’t think I’d be able to walk without pain!
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What a great story! And what a blessing to your community. I had a surgeon that did a biopsy on my right breast 14 years ago. Our insurance paid a good chunk of it, but I still owed a few hundred dollars. We had several different bills and we were paying each a bit each month. I paid on his bill for three months, and then received a note that I was paid in full. When I asked about it, she said that physician had a policy that once a person had paid on a bill what they could pay for three months, he wrote off the rest. WOW!
i just heard about a local restaurant who is trying the same thing. i thought it weird. i thought there would be a lot people who wouldn’t pay much. but your pole shows that there are still people with integrity. or maybe it just shows that those with little to no integrity don’t blog =)
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Isn’t it kind of strange to ask people how much they would pay? Of course everyone is going to say they’d pay in full or pay more later when they had the money. Get the FACTS, ask the doctor, he may be actually only getting $2.50 average per person. What makes someone do this type of creative payment? I dunno. I usually see chiro’s that charge $50 or more, that’s what I think a doctor should get. Anything else seems suspicious.