I have insurance now...why can't I find a doctor?

That phrase is becoming more and more common. Even prior to Health Care (INSURANCE) Reform passing, many people across the nation have been feeling the pressures of decreased accessibility to primary care physicians. In this article in the Washington Post, a journalist shares her previous story of difficulty in finding a primary care physician despite great insurance.

Naturally, I waited until I wasn't feeling well to seriously initiate this process. But I didn't expect any problems. I was just 23, basically healthy and, most important, insured. So I pulled out my computer, looked up the UnitedHealthcare list of preapproved doctors and started calling.

And I got rejected. Again. And again. (Usually after being put on hold for three or four minutes.)

I talked to one primary-care practice that hadn't accepted new patients in eight years. I talked to another that was accepting new patients only if they had HIV/AIDS.

Ah, so that's what it took to get a doctor within reach: I just had to contract a deadly disease.

So why is this a problem? Lets look at Massachusetts for a brief moment. Our new Health Care Reform for the nation was modeled much like a Universal Coverage Plan instituted in Massachusetts over a year ago. By the end of 2009, the mandate had accomplished getting 97% of their population insured. Hooray!...Right? The truth is everyone now has a special card giving them health insurance to see a doctor, the problem is you are going to have to wait on average of 63 days before you get in to see one. You may also think twice about moving to Washington or New York as the wait is still around 30 days. Keep in mind that these statistics were before the Health Bill passed. You do not have to be an economist to realize supply and demand.

So where are we are headed is quite frightening actually. What we do know is that the older demographic tends to utilize health care the most. Which might be okay if we were not headed for a huge surge in our older demographic. Check out our age distribution back in 2000 and you will soon realize where this big wave is coming from.

via AAPP

What problems have been identified?

1. Shortage of primary care physicians

2. Decreased access to basic medical care

3. Medical students choosing to be everything other than a primary care doctor

My personal goals to fix these problems:

1. Utilize cutting edge technology to allow for alternative solutions to access to basic medical care. This is not intended to depersonalize the doctor-patient relationship, but rather to supplement. As physicians we have been waiting too long for insurance companies to catch up to the 21st century. Every other industry other than health care, has made their processes more efficient by using tools such as email, video conferencing, instant messenger, etc. Don't wait....take action now!

2. Revitalize the field of primary care. My goal is to make this job fun again. Medical students are listening and following the revolution of private physicians.

The future is now. We can all sit back and debate our current situation or we can be a part of change. You decide.

I have insurance now...why can't I find a doctor?