After a couple of years of lower health care cost trends due to COVID, health care costs are expected to rise 8.5% on average next year. Understandably, most employers and their benefits advisors are focused on the downstream costs of cancer, musculoskeletal conditions, hospitalizations, ER visits and skyrocketing use of GLP-1 medications. But as clinicians who lead population health efforts at Accolade, our belief is that lack of timely access to physicians at pivotal moments – what we call the "physician gap" – is the major upstream issue.

The good news? There are multiple strategies benefits advisors and employers can deploy to address the physician gap and reduce downstream spend while delivering a better and more enjoyable employee experience.

The physician gap in primary care and mental health

Access to see a doctor was severely hampered during the pandemic. While many patients are resuming the care they previously delayed due to COVID, timely access to primary care providers (PCP) and specialists remains a problem today. The average wait time to see a PCP is around 26 days and is even more pronounced for individuals living in health professional shortage areas.