Turns out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act hasn't led to longer wait times to see a practitioner, despite concerns to the contrary.
At least that's what the sixth annual report from Vitals on wait times for doctors appointments says.
The health plan consultant has been gathering data annually on how long people wait on average to see primary care providers. This year's study shows that, on a national basis, wait times have dropped by a full minute, to 19 minutes and 16 seconds. There's considerable difference in wait times when analyzed by state—for instance, patients in New Hampshire wait just 15 minutes, while those in Alabama are cooling their heels for more than 23.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
