‘Jiffy’ Health Clinics Save Patients Money and Time, Undermine Obamacare

[Geee]

Human Events:

“Jiffy” health care clinics represent one of the fastest-growing sectors of the health care industry, providing quick, convenient, and affordable primary care services without the long waits and higher costs of traditional family practices.

 

In-and-out health clinics exist in states across the country and are often located inside pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens, as well as in grocery stores and large retail stores. Clinics are often led by a nurse practitioner or a single primary care physician. Staffs are kept low and facilities have limited testing capabilities and expensive machinery, keeping costs down.

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Convenient Care Association says there are more than 1,600 retail health clinics nationwide, with many more planned. In some states where costs and patient wait times are particularly high, retail clinics are growing at a rapid rate. There are more than 350 retail health clinics in Pennsylvania, many of which are in Philadelphia, where the average wait time to see a primary care doctor is roughly three weeks, according to the American Hospital Association.

The growing number of retail health clinics can be attributed in large part to expanding wait times and the growing number of Americans entering Medicaid, both of which have come as a result of the reforms mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).