Skip to main content

Opinion: How Medicare killed the family doctor

By The Wall Street Journal  
   November 08, 2010

I work for a health-insurance company, and my brother is a primary-care physician. As he tells it, my industry is responsible for the death of his. Insurance companies, he argues, have killed primary care by grinding down reimbursement and compelling doctors to see more and more patients just to make a living.

I sympathize with my brother, because I know that doctors' business with insurers isn't always easy. I'm also aware of the market's price sensitivity—and reimbursement paid to doctors comes from premiums paid by customers. Insurers must keep costs down.

Full story

Tagged Under:


Get the latest on healthcare leadership in your inbox.