I read this whole thread, it seems to miss one major point. Insurance companies control treatments in the USA to an amazing degree. They push to overschedule

I read this whole thread, it seems to miss one major point. Insurance companies control treatments in the USA to an amazing degree. They push to overschedule doctors, literally down to minutes per visit, try to push as much as possible to lower paid staff (mostly nurses), and shape things for maximum profit. Nurses are handling things today that would have used doctors in the past. Much of the frustration people get is trying to convince doctors to go against insurance companies and order more tests, referrals, or treatments. This is also why a weekend on pubmed and similar gives you a better result than a doctor ... who spent 2 minutes reviewing your chart and comes into the room for a few more minutes to talk to you.