Are GP Doctors Obsolete?

It might seem strange to ask if general practitioner doctors are obsolete when health insurers are pushing more treatments from specialists to GPs. The GPs specialize in relationship building and preventive medicine. But they are becoming an obstacle in the new world of high deductible consumer driven health insurance. In the old HMO days, it did not matter if the doctor tested for high cholesterol and any other thing their heart desired – the patient simply paid a small co-pay. With HMOs financially out of reach for most people (including employees), GPs must be willing to offer services al a carte.

Using the car analogy, do you need your engine checked to change the brakes? For the casual medical services user, the very expensive “first visit” negates any future savings.

With high deductible health insurance it could actually be much cheaper to see a specialist to solve a very specific health issue, and avoid the excess baggage of the GP. The growing field of private practice emergency medicine clinics is directly targeted to consumers. They only address the sickness or injury that the consumer is concerned with. Drugstore clinics with nurse practitioners can address simple medical issues.

Consumers can no longer afford a GP to coordinate their healthcare. In America, preventative medicine is a luxury that private insurers are not willing to pay for.

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