I don't know many people who go to the doctor every time they have a cough. Most people seem to just tough it out; even dragging themselves into work sniffling

I don't know many people who go to the doctor every time they have a cough. Most people seem to just tough it out; even dragging themselves into work sniffling and sneezing, and potentially infecting everyone else in the office. I also know lots of people with chronic low-level pain or other ailments who don't get any medical attention for a variety of reasons (too much hassle, too time consuming, can't get time off work, don't expect the doctor to actually do anything, can't afford the co-pay, etc). Americans don't actually see their doctors more often than citizens of other countries. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. See http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2009/12/the-cost-of-care.html http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2009/12/the-cost-of-care.h...