In parts of the United States, market and medical forces has been widening the gap between the supply of primary care physicians and the demand for their services. Now in Massachusetts, the imbalance is being exacerbated by the state's new law requiring residents to have health insurance. About 340,000 of Massachusetts' estimated 600,000 uninsured have gained coverage when the law took effect. Many of these patients are now searching for doctors and scheduling appointments for long-deferred care.