Reply #11: The sad fact is that many doctors are not making a profit

[nichomachus]

Some are -- some are doing quite well -- but others, mostly GPs and Family docs get so little from the HMOs that they have to see tons of patients just to make a living. This is why you're in and out of there in four minutes flat.

Sometimes, when they see you, assuming you're in an HMO, they are not getting very much in the way of reimbursement. Much less than you might think.