Fewer people are regularly visiting their primary care physicians

Visits to primary care physicians are on the decline, according to new research. Previous research has suggested that patients who regularly see PCPs tend to be healthier, but insurance claims data from one insurer from 2008-2016 reveal that regular visits to PCPs have declined by nearly 25%. The share of adults who didn’t have any visits with their PCP in a given year rose from around 38% to 46%, while visits to other settings — such as urgent care centers — also increased. Young adults, those with chronic conditions, and those living in low-income areas were least likely to have visited their PCP. The authors of the study suggest that these declines in PCP visits may be because people perceive regular checkups as unnecessary, and because of rising costs — the average cost per visit increased by around $10 over the study period.