Will Retail Health become the first stop for the Common American? 

There are many reasons for the common American to not choose to go to their primary doctor. There are many other resources like urgent care, retail clinics, and even the ER. There are numerous reasons for the common American to factor in while choosing the best route for their needs when they become sick or injured. Some injuries or sickness can be worse than others and cause them no choice but to go to the ER. However, today many Americans are taking different courses of action when it comes down to being sick or injured. There are many benefits to going to an urgent care compared to a primary doctor yet there still might be another option that is even better. Around 15 years ago retail health clinics started to pop up. Today there are around 2,000 of them across the country. In recent years, retail health clinics have been becoming more popular across the country due to the many benefits that come with going to a retail health clinic compared to a primary doctor or urgent care. 

Retail health has been growing at a fast speed throughout the US. Retail health clinics are located within retail stores, pharmacies, food stores, and many other locations. Having retail health clinics located in types of places makes it very easy and accessible for people. Beside the convenience of the location of these clinics, they are also very upfront about prices for their services. For instance in the article, “Retail Healthcare Update: Disrupting Traditional Care by Patient Needs” it states, “Prices average between $50-60 per visit, which is 30-40% less expensive than a doctor’s office visit and 80% less expensive than an ED visit. These prices are displayed upfront to provide as much cost transparency, and most accept commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or cash.” These clinics are not only being clear and transparent about their prices but also are seen to be much less expensive than other alternatives. One of the most important and many factors that cause the common American to go to an alternative doctor compared to their primary doctor, is because of cost. In addition to the low prices, these clinics accept a great deal of insurance. Although not everyone has insurance the costs of these visits are seen to be much lower than any of the other options like the ER or urgent care. 

With low prices, some Americans might see this as suspicious or think that the clinics aren’t as good as the urgent cares or a primary doctor visit; however this is not the cause. These retail health clinics are seen to have good care. They are able to give medications and are able to treat many illnesses and injuries that you may come across in a day to day. In the article “Retail Healthcare Update: Disrupting Traditional Care by Patient Needs” it also states that “The scope of practice allows retail providers to follow treatment guidelines and, in some cases, provide better care  than that received in a primary care physician or ED visit.” With this being said, these retail healthcare providers are seen to have high quality care for their patients at affordable prices for the common American with or without insurance. This is a very important factor due to most Americans that may not go to the doctor at all because of high prices or having to pay an immense amount of money for a low-quality doctor’s visit. Additionally the article states that, “They provide a bevy of benefits including locally-based and immediate care, lower and transparent costs, shorter wait times, and direct access to medications.” Taking that into consideration, these retail healthcare clinics are not only priced fairly but also are able to give the services and medications that are necessary for their patients. 

These retail health clinics are a very good way for the common American to be able to stay healthy and not spend a vast amount of money on a doctor’s visit. One of the most common issues that Amricans run into is cost. Not all Americans are able to afford or have access to good or any health insurance. When you find yourself without insurance it can be very difficult to be able to stay healthy or even have the option to be able to go to the doctor. At the same time Americans with insurance still have to pay large amounts of money for doctors visits. With this being said these retail healthcare clinics are very critical to all Americans, insured or not. Although in a perfect world the common American would not have to choose between being sick or spending a large amount of money to be healthy. Americans should just be able to go to the doctors when necessary with no worries in if they will be able to afford it or not. In the article “Health Insurance and Access to HealthCare in the United States” it states, “Health insurance, poverty, and health are all interconnected. Among the poor, more than a third have no health coverage (36%) and those who are near-poor (incomes between one and two times the poverty level) are not much better off, with 30% uninsured.” While the insured common American still has to pay loads of money for primary, urgent care, and ER visits; The uninsured have much larger amounts of money that they have to pay when in need of a doctor. This is why retail healthcare clinics are becoming one of the most valuable ways to get treated when sick or injured. Due to the cost efficiency and accessibility for the common american. 

For the many purposes of going to see a doctor in America, it can still be a stressor to people. From the costs, accessibility, and over quality in care. Unfortunately, the US is not one of the many countries in the world that have free healthcare. So, because of this numerous Americans everyday stumble across this issue of affording and being able to get good quality care for their needs. 

References 

Hoffman , C., & Paradise , J. (2008, July 5). Health Insurance and Access to Health Care in the United States. The New York Academy of Sciences. Health Insurance and Access to Health Care in the United States – Hoffman – 2008 – Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences – Wiley Online Library

Gaur , K. C., Sobhani , M., & Saxon , L. A. (n.d.). Retail Healthcare Update: Disrupting Traditional Care by Focusing on Patient Needs. The Journal of MHealth. https://thejournalofmhealth.com/retail-healthcare-update-disrupting-traditional-care-by-focusing-on-patient-needs/