Concierge medicine means better access to doctors for patients who pay, but disrupts care for many

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Increasingly, Americans pay for the privilege of seeing a doctor. Research shows concierge medicine can further hamper access to care for those who can't afford the upgrade.

'You had to pay the fee, or the doctor wasn't going to see you anymore.'That was the takeaway for Terri Marroquin of Midland, Texas, when her longtime physician began charging a membership fee in 2019. She found out about the change when someone at the physician's front desk pointed to a posted notice.At first, she stuck with the practice; in her area, she said, it is now tough to find a primary care doctor who doesn't charge an annual membership fee from $350 to $500.

'Your annual physical should be free,' said Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the National Patient Advocate Foundation. 'Why are you paying $2,000 for it?'Liz Glatzer felt her doctor in Providence, Rhode Island, was competent but didn't have time to absorb her full health history. 'I had double mastectomy 25 years ago,' she said. 'At my first physical, the doctor ran through my meds and whatever else, and she said, 'Oh, you haven't had a mammogram.

 

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