More Adults Seeking Less Primary Care

The use of primary care among commercially insured adults in the United States has been declining in the past decade, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine recently concluded. Researchers found that visits to primary care providers made by adults under the age of 65 had dropped by nearly 25 percent from 2008 to 2016. In addition, adults who went at least a year without a single visit to a primary care provider increased from about 38 percent to 46 percent in that period. Preventative care visits increased during the period, likely due to coverage by the ACA, while problem-based visits had a sharp decline. Evidence points to rising costs as a factor, as the average out-of-pocket costs for a visit to the doctor rose from about $30 to nearly $40 during the study period. Click here for the study.