Health care is expanding to include services that are accessible and exclusive to the extreme — like telemedicine and concierge doctors, respectively.
As more insurance groups begin to cover telehealth, and a growing number of services use mobile and digital avenues, access to a doctor is becoming easier. But when it comes to actually getting into the doctors office, it can seem as if there are too many people and too few doctors. Maybe because there are.
While medical schools have increased enrollment to account for the shortage, a 1997 cap on federal funding for teaching hospitals limits the number of residencies.
For those willing to pay a fee ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, the small but growing number of concierge doctors will see you whenever you want.
So with health care dividing into inclusive and exclusive methods of care, what does the future hold? Dr. Molly Coye, chief innovation officer at UCLA Health, joined Marketplace Weekend to talk about the changes to accessibility and exclusivity in health care.
Tune in to the interview using the audio player above.
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