Back in the day, people paid for routine primary care on their own and used insurance only when something serious came up. Some primary care doctors are betting that model can thrive again through a monthly subscription for routine care and a high-deductible insurance policy to take care of the big stuff.
But the changes raise questions about whether the approach really leads to more effective and efficient health care...
Unlike other wealthy countries, the United States has a low ratio of primary care physicians relative to medical specialists. Currently, only one in three physicians practice primary care, and only one in six medical graduates chooses primary care. When you consider that primary care visits account for 55 percent of the 1 billion physician office visits each year, and that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) could generate an additional 25 million primary care visits annually, one begins to see an already stressed system being pushed to the brink.
