Why We Don’t Take Insurance

A return to the art of medicine

When I was a child, I remember visiting our physician and, like many people did back then, the doctor spent as much time as needed discussing health concerns and how to support the healing process.

I have been practicing medicine for nearly 40 years—from medical researcher to clinician practicing anesthesiology in both academic settings and private practice. I hold medical licenses in multiple states and in the State of Israel. Throughout my anesthesiology career, my responsibility was to care for patients’ anesthetic needs until they were safely in the post-anesthesia care unit or the intensive care unit.

What changed—and why patients feel it

Over the years, I have seen a marked shift in healthcare. Many colleagues have been forced to move from being scientists and physicians to overstressed, time-limited practitioners—often spending only minutes with each patient, primarily to prescribe medications.

I didn’t understand how it felt from the patient side until 2016, when I experienced an almost catastrophic illness that placed me in the ICU. I was in a coma and suffered two cardiac events that required resuscitation. Those who cared for me said it was a miracle that I survived.

Becoming a physician-patient gave me clarity. I heard what so many people have been saying for years: “My doctor doesn’t have time. I don’t feel heard. I leave with prescriptions—often without a deeper explanation of what’s driving my symptoms.”

Here is the answer

Insurance-based models are frequently constrained by diagnosis coding, reimbursement structures, and strict time limits. That approach can make it difficult to deliver the depth of evaluation and long-form education that many of our patients are seeking.

For that reason, our practice does not take insurance. We don’t want your care limited by time caps when your goal is wellness, longevity, and true root-cause investigation. We provide an alternative: we spend time, we listen carefully, we evaluate thoroughly, and we use natural methods alongside traditional medicine when appropriate.