Finding Health Care in Rural Areas

Posted by admin in Health Care, Minnesota on Dec 17th, 2008 | no responses

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MinnPost, an online magazine from Minnesota, says that it's hard to find medical care in the rural areas of the state. It cites, for example, a clinic in one small town on the Lake Superior shoreline that has been trying to replace two primary care physicians for two years, and counting. This is despite a program whereby the state pays off $64,000 in med school debt of physicians who relocate to designated areas.

The shortage of medical professionals in rural areas is not surprising. There's less of just about any service in rural areas. Still, there's room for lawmakers and the private sector to move in. Telemedicine can help, as can retail clinics.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, ought not to make it even more expensive for doctors and other professionals to do business. Tort reform, could help. The article mentions–as would any on the subject–that doctors can find better economic opportunities in metropolitan areas. I can see this need, however, as an excuse for top-down, governmentized medicine, yet another excuse for a handful smart people around a table deciding what health care for everyone will look like.

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