What percentage of Americans don t have a primary care doctor?

Asked by: Drake Treutel  |  Last update: November 26, 2023
Score: 5/5 (56 votes)

Share of patients without a primary care provider
Nearly 30% of all patients who received medical services between 2016 and 2022 did not see a primary care physician, a FAIR Health analysis provided first to Axios shows.

What percentage of Americans do not have a primary care physician?

A third of Americans don't have a primary care provider, report finds.

What percentage of Americans have a primary care doctor?

Fewer Americans had a primary care provider in 2015 than in 2002, according to a report published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The overall proportion dropped 2%, from 77% to 75%.

Is there a shortage of primary care doctors in us?

One of the major reasons for this decline is that we have fewer of these doctors today. According to projections from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), there will be a primary care physician shortage of between 17,800 and 48,000 doctors by 2034.

Do some people never go to doctor?

No worries, you aren't alone. It's estimated that 25% of people in the United States don't have a primary care physician and about 20% of people haven't been to a doctor in more than five years. But now you've decided it's time to fix that.

Young adults don't have primary care doctor | Here's why

43 related questions found

What percent of people never see a doctor?

The general increase in health care costs is a trend, too. It appears that though the makeup of who didn't go to the doctor pre-ACA and post-ACA (over the past year) is nearly the same, except the percentage of U.S. adult never-goers is even higher– now at 20%.

How many Americans avoid the doctor?

Nearly a third of Americans lack access to primary care services, including routine checkups, while 40 percent of U.S. adults say they're delaying care or going without because of the financial costs.

What is the largest physician shortage?

Neurology and psychiatry, as well as pulmonary and critical-care medicine, are headed for larger shortfalls than some other specialties, which is in part related to the type of complex, chronic conditions America's aging population must manage. However, primary care is the largest area of concern.

What states have the highest doctor shortage?

Ten states predicted to have the greatest shortages of physicians by 2030:
  • California — 32,669.
  • Florida — 21,978.
  • Texas — 20,420.
  • Arizona — 8,280.
  • Georgia — 8,012.
  • North Carolina — 7,725.
  • Illinois — 6,203.
  • Washington — 6,037.

Why is it so hard to see a doctor now?

As doctors retire and hospitals expand their capacity, wait times and demands for current providers have only increased. Not only is the supply of healthcare providers decreasing, but demand is increasing.

How often does the average American go to the doctor?

How Often Americans See a Doctor. The average American visits his or her doctor four times per year. On average, babies visit the doctor nine times per year and children between the ages of 5 and 15 visit the doctor two times per year.

How many people do not trust doctors?

However, trust in doctors has been declining rapidly over the decades. In the 1960s, over three-fourths of the American society had great confidence in medical professionals. Now, only 34% of the American population are confident in the country's public health system.

Which state has the least doctors?

The state with the most active physicians per resident is Massachusetts, while Idaho is the state with the least.

Which state has the lowest doctor to patient ratio?

Overall, Vermont has the most primary care doctors per capita in the U.S. The state of Mississippi is home to the worst primary care physician-to-resident ratio in the US. For every 1,889 residents, there's one primary care doctor.

What percentage of Americans do not have any health care coverage at all?

The nation's uninsured rate declined significantly in 2021 and early 2022, reaching an all-time low of 8.0 percent for U.S. residents of all ages in the first quarter (January-March) of 2022, based on new data from the National Health Interview Survey, compared to the prior low of 9.0 percent in 2016.

Which state has the best doctors in USA?

Best states for doctors:
  • Alaska. Score: 44.47.
  • New Jersey. Score: 44.71.
  • District of Columbia. Score: 45.37.
  • New Mexico. Score: 47.44.
  • Massachusetts. Score: 47.64.
  • New York. Score: 47.67. ...
  • Pennsylvania. Score: 48.62.
  • Oregon. Score: 49.47. Deanna Cuadra.

Which doctors are most in demand in us?

10 Types of physicians needed in the US
  • Emergency physicians. ...
  • Psychiatrists. ...
  • Obstetricians and gynecologists. ...
  • Neurologists. ...
  • Radiologists. ...
  • Anesthesiologists. ...
  • Pediatricians. ...
  • Cardiologists. What they do: Cardiologists focus on diagnosing, treating, and managing cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension and arrhythmias.

Which state has the best physicians?

Fifteen best states for physicians:
  • Montana.
  • South Dakota.
  • Idaho.
  • Wisconsin.
  • Minnesota.
  • Louisiana.
  • Utah.
  • Nebraska.

What is the primary care crisis in the United States?

Primary care in the United States is on the brink of collapse. Primary care providers suffer existential burnout, are the lowest compensated of all medical specialties, and there is a crisis-level shortage of primary care physicians, especially in health professional shortage areas.

Why does the US have a doctor shortage?

While the driving force of the doctor shortage in the US can't be tied to one specific cause, there are a number of contributing factors. Primary among them is the fact that human life expectancy is longer than ever before—and as the population ages, healthcare needs increase.

Where are doctors most needed?

The greatest demand for doctors is in the South, where the physician shortage stands at about 31,000 doctors. Doctors are next most scarce in the Midwest, where demand outstrips supply by nearly 13,000 doctors.

What age group goes to the doctor the least?

Medical provider visits become more likely with age, as 37 percent of young adults 18 to 24 did not visit a provider at all during the year, compared with 8 percent of those 65 and older. Hispanics were the least likely racial or ethnic group to see a medical provider, as 42 percent never visited one during the year.

Why can't Americans afford healthcare?

Despite policy efforts to improve the affordability of coverage, many uninsured people cite the high cost of insurance as the main reason they lack coverage. In 2021, 64% of uninsured adults said that they were uninsured because the cost of coverage was too high.

Where do most US doctors come from?

Nearly 50% of foreign-trained doctors in the United States come from Asian countries, with doctors coming from India representing by far the largest number, followed by the Philippines and Pakistan.