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Showing Original Post only (View all)Doctor Visits Dropping, New Census Figures Show [View all]
Source: NYT
Americans of working age are going to the doctor less frequently than they were 10 years ago, according to a new report by the Census Bureau.
In 2010, people age 18 to 64 made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, down from 4.8 visits in 2001, said the report, which was released on Monday.
The precise reasons for the decline were unclear, said Brett OHara, an official at the Census Bureau and a co-author of the report. But the changing demographics of the American population most likely had something to do with it.
As baby boomers retire, for example, they leave a working-age population that is on average younger and that tends to use less health care. Still, that is likely to be only a small part of the explanation, as the baby boomers began to move into retirement only at the end of the reports period, about two years ago.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/health/doctor-visits-drop-census-finds.html