Is money the reason for a primary care doctor shortage?

The shortage of primary care doctors in America is a "major problem," says Dr. Lucy McBride.

"We don't prioritize preventative care. We prioritize sick care," she told Horizons host William Brangham.

While a primary care doctor can help prevent health issues, McBride, a primary care physician in Washington, D.C., says medical students are more incentivized to become specialists because they make more. She noted that primary care physicians are reimbursed "at a much lower rate than specialists."

"If you're forced to see a patient every 15 minutes, and you're underpaid and you're faced with a waiting room of patients who are upset at you for making them wait, understandably," McBride said, "you're going to pick interventional cardiology or a specialty that treats two square inches of the body, instead of choosing a field where the relational aspects of care are the most important, yet are not valued according to our payment system."

Horizons from PBS News dives into the science, health, technology and environmental issues making headlines each week. Visit the PBS News website to watch this week's episode.

Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins

Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters

PBS News podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS News at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel