this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2023
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USA. Others have covered cost but I’d like to add how long it takes to see a doctor.
I have an established primary care physician that I’ve seen for years. Now though if I want an appointment I have to wait at least two months. So I have a membership with an urgent care near me that puts a $180 cap on visits to their chain of urgent cares. There is obviously no on going care with them but most of the time that’s okay.
A friend of mine doesn’t have an established PCP and to get one he must wait at least a calendar year….
So many people in the US complain that if we had a single-payer system, that wait times would be horrendous.
Well, here we are with the worst system in the world and still horrendous wait times.
I had an appointment for my annual physical in June that I had to reschedule. I called a couple of days beforehand, and the first time they could see me was in November.
We really are lucky as Americans not to have the crazy long wait times that other countries do, right?
I haven’t seen my pcp in like 3 years. $200 to go in for no reason and have them tell me I’m fat? No thanks.
I should probably diy bloodwork though just to make sure I don’t have elevated white blood cell counts or sth
Edit: the wait for pcps is structural bc they don’t earn the same exorbitant salaries as specialists but still have to pay backbreaking med school costs, so there’s a shortage.
Where do you live that makes you wait a year for an appointment with a PCP? I've only ever waited a month or more for a particular set of specialists where I'm at.
The south.
The deep south? Texas? Florida? I ask as a Texan.
Ouch. The primary care situation in some parts of Canada is grim too but at least my appointment wait times are 1-2 weeks
Holy shit, that's crazy. So if you have like, a really bad cold or something and need to see the doctor, you'll be recovered by the time you get an appointment??
Makes me pretty grateful to be able to get same-day appointments, or at worst, the day after.
If you've recovered from your cold before you can get to a doctor, then you didn't need to see a doctor. It's almost as if humans have some kind of immune system to deal with common viral infections
Fine then, "if my vagina is leaking a green fluid and smells really disgusting" is that a better hypothetical for you?????
Better, yes.
If you are wondering why it takes months to see a GP it's because fully 50% of my consults are healthy people with self limiting viral illnesses.
Each one of those appointments makes me unavailable to see someone else who may or may not have offensive vaginal discharge.
If people just got out of the mindset of "my kid has a cold, I need to see a doctor to get checked out" or even worse " I have a cold, I need antibiotics" then maybe I can spend my day treating actual medical problems instead of telling people to go home, have some vitamin C and drink plenty of fluids.
I can see a PA same day at a urgent care but not a doctor. So I can get meds for common things. But no ongoing care.