Millions Face Barriers to Primary Care as Trust in Medical Institutions Declines
A growing number of Americans are struggling to access basic primary care, leading many to seek health information and solutions online – a space increasingly populated by wellness influencers and rife with misinformation.
Over 100 million Americans, roughly one-third of the U.S. population, encounter obstacles to receiving primary care, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2014, according to a 2023 study by the National Association of Community Health Centers and HealthLandscape at the American Academy of Family Physicians. This lack of access is compounded by a decline in trust in traditional medical institutions, fueled by historical scandals and further eroded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with confidence in scientists dipping 14% between April 2020 and fall 2023, according to the Pew Research Center.
Dr. Mike Varshavski, a board-certified family medicine physician with over 29 million social media followers, attributes the crisis to factors like the closure of solo practices, declining insurance reimbursement rates, and administrative burdens faced by family physicians, making the specialty less appealing to medical students. “I was trained as a family medicine doctor. We go to where our patients are,” Varshavski said. “If they’re in the ER, we’re there… And one place where I felt like we weren’t there for our patients was on social media.” The rise of wellness influencers offering quick fixes and unverified advice fills a void, but often at a cost. The proliferation of unverified health advice online can lead to delayed or inappropriate medical care, potentially worsening health outcomes.
Experts warn that while social media can be a source of information, it’s crucial to critically evaluate content and prioritize evidence-based advice from qualified healthcare professionals. “One of the main things we can do to help is to show up for them,” says Dr. Garth Graham, director and global head of health care and public health partnerships at YouTube and Google Health. The Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to disclose sponsored content, but even with disclosures, the allure of seemingly easy solutions can be powerful. For more information on identifying credible health sources, visit the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus website.
Health officials are working to combat misinformation and improve access to reliable health information, but emphasize the importance of individual responsibility in seeking credible sources and prioritizing professional medical advice.
