Survey: Most Pennsylvanians can get to a doctor when they need to

Nearly half of Pennsylvanians said in a new survey that their out-of-pocket costs and copays for health care have remained the same over the past year while about the same percentage said they increased, the Pennsylvania Medical Society said on Thursday.

by Don Sapatkin, Inquirer Staff Writer

Published Oct. 22, 2015, 10:01 a.m. ET

Most of the questions in the September survey of 700 registered voters involved access to physicians, with 85 percent of respondents saying they travel 15 miles or less to see their primary care physician.

More than three-quarters of respondents said they were able to see a doctor in the time frame they wanted, and 90 percent said they had not had to delay or put off seeing a physician. (An older survey by a different organization found higher percentages delaying care in lower-income areas of Southeastern Pennsylvania.)

Full survey results are here.

"Overall, a large percentage of patients are accessing the services of their primary care physician when they want and within a short travel distance," Karen Rizzo, a physician in Lancaster who is president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, said in a statement.

"There are great pockets of need across our state, but by and large most Pennsylvanians are able to get the primary care they need, when and where they need it," added Michael Fraser, the organization's executive vice president.

The survey, conducted by phone between Sept. 14 and 23, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. It was done by Susquehanna Polling and Research's Fall Statewide Omnibus Poll.