Concierge Doctors: Primary Care and the Well-to-Do

Today, millions of Americans still can't afford healthcare, as witnessed recently by the long lines of people hoping to see a doctor or dentist at the Los Angeles Forum, care provided by a group that usually caters to needy people in Third World countries. Meantime, doctors for the rich and famous are a growing business. The death of Michael Jackson has cast a spotlight on so called “concierge doctors.” There are an estimated 5000 boutique doctors in the country, a practice popularized by the summer TV hit Royal Pains, which features the fictional Dr. Hank Lawson who treats rich patients in the Hamptons and then uses the proceeds to treat the poor. We talk about the rise in private physicians, the significant decline in the numbers of primary care doctors and its impact on the nation’s well-being.