"it’s also unclear why many routine checks couldn’t just be done by a family doctor." Even though it's probably not that complicated, it's probably beyond the

"it’s also unclear why many routine checks couldn’t just be done by a family doctor." Even though it's probably not that complicated, it's probably beyond the scope of a regular doctor to do proper checks - and - it's probably more expensive than getting your eyes checked by an optometrist, which is usually pretty cheap. In fact, the optometrist model i.e. regulated specialization for something that we don't need very expensive doctors for, is probably a good model for hearing. If there's something more complicated, then they refer you to the ophthalmologist etc.. We should be trying to do this with everything i.e. get people into 3 year specialization programs which make basic health things affordable, and leave more complex cases to MDs.