The doctor's office just told me that they were not allowed to call in

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26. antibiotics are different than other drugs

I think the antibiotics prescriptions require a doctor to see you to reduce over-prescription and superbugs. I know a number of people who ask their doctor for antibiotics on their first cough. A few have gotten pissed recently because the doctor who always prescribed it now makes them wait.

But, laws, regulations, threats of law suits, etc. result in doctors having to do things they don't need to and greatly increase the cost of health care.

The last 3 times I got antibiotics (the only 3 times in my life) the nurse looked in my throat and told me what I needed. Then I waited 20-60 minutes for the doctor to come fill out the prescription.

When I broke my arm the nurse looked at the x-rays and said "you need to see a specialist to put it in a cast". Then I waited for a doctor to come say the same thing.

Just think how much cheaper it would be if a nurse could set up a low-cost clinic and give advice for so many things that require a doctor's visit. And how may more people would be able to get "some" advice. It may not be the best advice but being able to ask someone who has training whether to go get an x-ray vs icing ice is better than making that decision on your own and not getting the x-ray. And nurses could accurately prescribe antibiotics (with the pharmacist's double-check on allergies, people needing it too much and indicating a larger issue, etc).

Maybe it's not the best idea to give more power to non-doctors. But we need to find some way to reduce the cost of health care and improve access rather than focusing on payment. And, getting rid of the doctor monopoly is a good start. Knowledge, diagnosis equipment, nurse training, and many other things have improved significantly since the doctors got their monopoly. And arguments about the dangers of not seeing a doctor are nowhere near as strong. It would be great if everyone could see a specialist with 10+ years of education/experience for every issue, but that's not realistic. Realistically, everyone could see someone with medical training for every issue at least to ask if they need to see a doctor.