Carol Thompson, Lansing State Journal
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the number of graduates from Michigan's osteopathic medical school.
LANSING — Megan Coady was told it could take up to six months to see the doctor, and first, she would have to apply.
She did, answering questions about her personal and family health history, demographic information and insurance provider, then mailing the application to the Lansing internist's office that sent it to her.
Three months and a follow-up phone call later, and she's still waiting to know if she and her husband, who has a complex medical condition, will be accepted as new patients.
"Right now I'm kind of in stasis," she said. "Everything is stable with my husband, so it's not an immediate concern, but I don't want to have to rely on urgent care or emergency services or the pharmacy."
Coady and her husband moved to Lansing in July and despite months of searching have not found a primary care physician who accepts her insurance, can see her within four months and is based close enough to her Lansing home.
It's not because she hasn't tried. As an optometrist, she knows the value in getting regular check-ups with a doctor.
"It's frustrating," Coady said, "but I don't think my experience is unique to my family here in Lansing."
Experts would agree. The Lansing area is a microcosm of a nation facing a primary care shortage that is expected to get worse as a glut of providers retires and America's aging population demands more medical care.
That means Americans likely will face longer wait times for routine doctor visits, leaving them sicker and more in need of urgent or emergency care.
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