ou cannot build a house without laying the proper foundation. The same can be said for the healthcare system. weight loss doctors in mcallen texas care physicians are on the front line of defense for almost every injury or ailment that occurs. They are responsible for diagnosing and/or treating a wide array of illnesses, from the common cold to mental health issues. These are the people that decide when we need to see a specialist and point us in the direction of the people who are most qualified to help us regain our health. Primary care doctors play an important part in our countries health and well-being. They are the ones that lay the foundation for a healthier, wealthier, stronger and happier America.
This being said, the demand for primary care doctors is increasing while the amount of people seeking to become general practitioners is not. Oddly enough, insurance companies are paying primary care doctors about 1% of the premium they receive per patient. A shocking number considering 90% of doctor visits in the U.S. can be filed as a primary care visit. This is not to say that these doctors are struggling to get by, but it does show that they are not being compensated properly for the amount of responsibility they own in regards to the healthcare system as a whole.
The Affordable Care Act has made minor strides in increasing the amount of medicare dollars that are spent on primary care by 10%. Research from The Commonwealth Fund shows that this increase will actually cause a 1.9% decrease in total spending. The savings will stem from a decrease complications, the use of expensive specialists, and people achieving an overall more healthy lifestyle. The significant increase in the cost of care has been caused by multiple reasons. The lack of transparency from insurance companies and the lack of ability of recent generations to keep themselves healthy.
It’s clear to see that spending more money on primary care (the foundation) will help us build a more effective healthcare system (the house). There are still 30 million people in the U.S. without any form of health insurance and 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.. In a country as wealthy as ours we should be able to care for everyone and strides need to be made to at the very least make PRIMARY CARE affordable and obtainable to our people.