Is podiatry recession-proof?

[Boba Foot]

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Debates over whether we're in, or headed for, a recession aside, is podiatry relatively recession-proof as with other medical specialties? Has anyone been practicing since around '08 and can attest one way or the other? Sure you'll always have your medicare and medicaid patients who are unaffected, but how about your private insurance patients who lose jobs, etc?

 

[Feli]

MCR and MCA are the most affected. Sure, they're entitlements which they will always print to fund, but...
If you look at MCR versus inflation, it has basically been "the same"... aka going down for decades and decades.
It will get worse and worse with AI as fewer people are gainfully employed.

(this is why DPMs keep coming up with wacky schemes like "grafts" to scam the MCR secondaries and new OTC stuff to peddle)

A major nearby private employer closing or seriously downsizing is always a risk, but our services are mostly pretty affordable and ppl can pay cash (but good luck if in an area with many DPMs... race to the bottom on pricing). It'd become like dentistry... if there were 3x as many dentists.

The most problematic thing is another Covid type event... that puts serious clamps on cash flow, stability of staff, supply chains, all of that.

 

[Homo sapien]

I think it is but you'll have to reduce your income expectations fast

 

[Sole Badguy]

There was a YouTube video I saw about recession and luxury goods - gist of it was that people during a recession won't pay for big $$$$$ items, but will pay for smaller premium items to keep from spiraling (e.g. Labubus). If applied to medical services, my guess is that people may delay addressing bigger concerns, but will probably still follow up for smaller more affordable visits (i.e. 🦞)

 

[Boba Foot]

There was a YouTube video I saw about recession and luxury goods - gist of it was that people during a recession won't pay for big $$$$$ items, but will pay for smaller premium items to keep from spiraling (e.g. Labubus). If applied to medical services, my guess is that people may delay addressing bigger concerns, but will probably still follow up for smaller more affordable visits (i.e. 🦞)

What would we do without our Labubus?

 

[Adam Smasher]

will probably still follow up for smaller more affordable visits (i.e. 🦞)

In times of crisis, the bottom feeders always survive! 🦞👑

 

[air bud]

What would we do without our Labubus?

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