Two healthcare encounters last week.

The optometrist I’ve been seeing for years has retired, but his practice group continues to be privately owned. 

Including the dilation of my eyes (which by itself takes 30 minutes), I was in and out in an hour. Efficient. Respectful. Great exam with no upselling of services I thankfully don’t need anyway.

Oh, and I wasn’t brow beat for co-pays; i.e., I left without needing Rick Steve’s advice for European travelers (HERE).

Unfortunately, the same wasn’t true for my dental exam, where new Private Equity owners are calling the shots.

I was asked to pay 20% of the exam up front. Wait, isn’t preventive supposed to be at 100% for semi-annual visits?

Apparently, I’m a candidate for ‘periodontal scaling’ three times a year. If the procedure was any different than a routine cleaning, you could fool me. Plus, I never saw the dentist.

Oh, and when I checked out, I was told they had erred and I owed 50%!

In a WSJ Op-Ed Monday (1/13), Andy Kessler opined “Is private equity the new boogeyman?” Adding, “The backlash against healthcare providers and funders is real.”

No argument from me.