Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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."
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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.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: to.pbs.org/41q6E8i
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
TikTok: tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: facebook.com/newshour
