The story used data from the Dartmouth Atlas to show that simply adding more doctors will not drive down costs or improve care. The reporter travelled to White Plains, N.Y. – the U.S. city with the highest number of doctors per capita – and to Bakersfield, Calif. – one of the most under-served cities – to show the extremes of the U.S. health system and how doctors tend to settle in the most over-served areas. Clusters of doctors tend to result in higher health care costs, and outcomes aren't any better in cities with the largest physician populations. There's little in the text of the health care bills considered by the U.S. Congress that would restore balance to the system.
Read "Special report: Are doctors what ails U.S. healthcare?"
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