"Ask a doctor" websites are the new health insurance for the unemployed and uninsured

August 14, 5:22 PMNY Wellness ExaminerRoger Ziegler

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Ask a doctor websites are the filling the gap for many people who
are unemployed and have no health insurance. But how safe is it
to put your health in the hands of an internet doctor?
(photo: John Vachon from flickrcommons)

Cheaper than a co-pay, "ask a doctor" websites are seeing explosive growth these days as more and more people without health insurance, and the just plain curious, turn to them for medical advice. 

Is it the next best thing to a medical insurance plan? A new form of indivdual health care?

And is it safe to seek answers to your medical questions from an internet doc?

The short answer is: yes, but. These sites can be helpful, but there is no substitute for a personal doctor visit.

But if you have no health insurance...

The house call is back, sort of

Sites like justanswer.com and askthemedicalspecialist.com give you access to what the companies' say are verified experts in various fields of medicine.

You ask your question and a doctor gives you a specific answer for a fee ranging from $14 to $34, satisfaction guaranteed or you don't pay.

Some of the most popular questions focus on heart ailments, infertility, swine flu and rashes.

While sites like doctorslounge.com offer medical news, updates and forums where doctors answer questions for free, you generally don't get to ask a specific doctor a specific question. 

That's where pay sites like justanswer.com and askthemedicalspecialist.com jump in. They give you access to what the companies' say are verified experts in various fields of medicine.

A totally new way to diagnose your disease or a dangerous trend?

"There are more uninsured and underinsured people looking for ways to talk to a doctor without all the usual expense (direct and indirect- i.e. gas) and hassle," says justanswer CEO Andy Kurtzig. "That and the trend towards researching medical conditions online continues to grow."

"The future of medicine is changing significantly," confirmed askthemed... founder Dr. Lance Cohen, "patients may have to wait longer than they have historically for medical care."

That is of course if they can even afford medical care.

Dr. Marc Siegel, associate professor at NYU Langone Medical Center and the medical director of Sirius radio's Doctor Radio channel, says "I see these sites as a demonstration of the trend of healthcare in our society. People don't have access to real live doctors."

The doctor cautions we are moving too far away from one on one patient/doctor interaction. "There are too many variables with each individual," he says, "for a stranger to diagnose another stranger over the internet. "

But Dr. Siegel says asking a doctor for medical advice on the internet (or his own radio show) can be helpful when used as a "gateway" to more information, as long as they are not used as a substitute for actual treatment.

Detailed answers on everything from "left leg going numb" to "surprise pregnancy"

The medical sites are quick to point out they do not "diagnose," only offer "information." This may be disingenuous when most people seeking answers are uninsured, but these sites can stand as a halfway point between actual healthcare and doing or knowing nothing at all.

Justanswer, which claims 20 million registered users in 145 countries and 20,000 experts (in categories from law to, health to auto mechanics), says it has seen "100% growth" in its medical category over the last year. Company spokeswoman Aimee Macaitis said 82% of people asking medical questions on the site say they do not have health insurance.

Askthemedicalspecialist which launched 9 months ago is also seeing steady growth since its kick-off, with a more than 50% of questioners identifying themselves as having no health insurance.

Dr. Cohen says the most popular questions on his site these days are about heart disease, infertility and H1N1, swine flu. Justanswer says it is fielding lots of  "heart pain, rashes, headaches and blood test results," questions.

Great, but does it work?

In my own personal experience by and large I have found the answers from the justanswer experts to be generally thorough and accurate, but obviously limited in their scope to a general answer.

If I had massive internal injuries or large amounts of pus, I would probably go see a doctor, but for many of those "questionable maladies" or for a second opinion, I think these sites can offer additional helpful insights.

Independently verified and/or friends with the doctor guy who founded the website

Just answer and askthemed...  go to great lengths to make sure you know that all their doctors and medical people are board certified and independently verified by third parties. Justanswer uses a "two global Fortune 500 companies." 

Over at askthemed. all the doctors are hand picked and personally known by site founder Dr. Cohen. "All the doctors on the site are currently practicing medicine and all are board certified," he says. He also has their creds verified by "official medical database inquiry."

If something goes wrong, don't come crying to them

Neither site claims responsibility for what any doctor says on their site however, to avoid pesky lawsuits, so your health decisions are ultimately your own. 

"Similar to eBay, Justanswer is a platform," says CEO and founder Andy Kurtzig.  "It does not create the answers on the site. The experts on the site who answer questions are responsible for their answers."

Dr. Lance says, "we don't diagnose, we don't treat, we don't prescribe. Our service does not constitute a doctor/patient relationship. We only give information."

 How much?

Justanswer has over 100 medical specialists from ob/gyns to urologists and RNs who will answer your question in a kind of information auction.

Ask your question, say how much you are willing to pay ($14, $18 or $34) await expert to reply. Pay only if you are satisfied with the answer. Presumably you will get a better answer for $34 as more people will bid to answer your question.

Askthemed currently has 8 doctors on staff for $19.99 a pop and you get to choose which doc answers your questions. You are even allowed a follow-up question.

Post your feedback

If you're unemployed and uninsured, or if you just them for a second opinion, If you have used either of these sites (or others like it) as your medical insurance, please leave your feedback in the comments section so we can all benefit from your sage wisdoms.