>>Oh, my, John!
>>The $250K, had it not been kickbacked, could have reduced prices to the consumer.
>>It was and it didn't.

Now I see the confusion: you assume that pricing is controlled by physicians or providers. But for the majority of patients on Medicare or insured, the payer publishes the fee schedule and there's no competitive advantage in billing less. Maybe go check out who decides your toenail clipper's fees before making this sort of declaration?

>>On the other hand my toenail clipper joined a group that shares much of that.
>>He has his own treatment rooms, but the overhead is shared with about a dozen other MD's.
>>He told me he cut his overhead in half.

Doesn't reduce the price Medicare publishes or gets charged, I'm afraid. Ask him next time you see him.

FWIW, Medicare has started setting prices for non-physician treatment codes, e.g. as of 2016 there's a fee of around $12 if a practice nurse flushes impacted earwax out of your ears. So far Medicare doesn't pay for toenail clipping or routine foot care unless you have diabetes or some other condition requiring judgment. Maybe your toenail clipping can go the same way as the earwax washing or at personal cost, since you're so confident you don't need a physician and it's a rort.