Higher copayments and deductibles apparently have not discouraged Americans from visiting their doctors, according to a new Gallup Poll on healthcare.
The poll, conducted in early November and released Tuesday, found that nine out of 10 Americans visited a medical doctor at least once in the previous year, or about 4 percentage points higher than in 2001. The number of Americans making more than 10 doctor visits also increased from about 10% three years ago to 14% in 2004, the survey said.
The survey also shows that Americans visited a physician an average of 6.3 times in the previous 12 months, about two visits more than the 2001 average. Women tend to visit their doctors more often than men -- seven times a year compared to about five times annually -- the poll also found. That disparity, according to officials, could be due to annual recommended visits to OB/GYNs or additional visits due to pregnancies.
