The decline of the family doctor

Alper discusses the crisis in which primary care now finds itself. He claims that the greatest factor to affect the availability, character, and quality of primary care will be the health benefit reform measures that Congress adopts in coming years--in which drug manufacturers will have a Medicare payment increase for more than 100 drugs used in hospital outpatient procedures while Medicare physician fees were scheduled to decrease by 4.2% in 2004. Moreover, primary care does not repay the time and money invested in training in comparison to careers in law or architecture.