Terry Mitchell

Twelve (Non-Financial) Reasons Why People Avoid Doctor Visits



Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2007

by
http://commenterry.blogs.com

We are all aware that the high cost of health care is a prime reason many people won't see a doctor when they should. People who are the most concerned about cost are usually those not covered by health insurance. However, health insurance is overrated. It is not the "get out of illness free card" that it should be. It is not a magic bullet. It is not a be-all-to-end-all.

In fact, even many people who have good health insurance also avoid or put off seeing their doctor, often until they have developed some kind of advanced-stage illness. Here are some reasons why this happens (in no particular order):

1) Doctors' appointments can't always be scheduled at convenient times.

2) One often faces long waits in a doctor's office.

3) Not every medical condition can be easily treated or cured. Some can't be cured at all. People fear being told that they have a disease that will soon kill them.

4) Many common diagnostic tests are painful and/or humiliating.

5) Many cures and treatments are more ghastly than the disease itself.

6) Some conditions are difficult to describe, creating the potential for a dangerous misdiagnosis.

7) Some of the other patients in the waiting room often have contagious diseases.

8) When one is sick, he or she doesn't often feel like getting out of bed, getting dressed, and going to the doctor's office.

9) Nurses and/or receptionists often have bad attitudes.

10) Not every doctor has a good bedside manner.

11) There's often paperwork and red tape involved, in addition to meddling by the insurance company.

12) The examining rooms are cold.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Virginia, USA. He posts a least one article a day to his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com - on subjects such as current events, politics, technology, society and culture, religion, health and well-being, self improvement, personal finance, trivia, and sports. Terry is also the owner and operator of a website that is dedicated to allowing U.S. citizens to find all types of insurance at reasonable prices.  
 
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