BY BRADLEY DOUNTZ
By the numbers
Why it matters
Patient-to-physician ratio There are higher numbers of patients per physicians due to a physician shortage.
As the growing nancial strain continues to impact patients, many physicians are taking on more responsibilities with their rising caseload. Though burnout statistics for doctors have improved in recent years, over 43% of doctors have faced some level of burnout, according to the American Medical Association. While the overall workweek has shortened for physicians, the asso- ciation found that a majority of doctors still spend time on electronic health records outside of work. Ravi Aron, professor of health care strategy and technology at the University of Houston, said the supply of physicians and clinicians is not expand- ing to meet the demand for clinical services, with a report by the Texas Department of State Health Services showing the Texas physician shortage is projected to increase through 2032.
Aron said he believes a multitude of factors such as a lack of education, living in a rural geography and nancial issues lead to di - culties in obtaining adequate health care. “It’s a particularly heartbreaking, con- founding trend because serious illnesses make you lose a job,” Aron said. “The loss of a job means you don’t have insurance, which means you don’t get good health care, which means you su er more from serious illnesses—so it’s a vicious cycle that reinforces itself.” While advancements in medical technology have grown exponentially, Aron said getting the resources to the masses is the most vital component to a healthy community.
1,717:1 Harris County: 8,540:1 Waller County:
1,657:1 2025 Texas:
1,181:1 Fort Bend County:
Average alternative costs
Average monthly cost for membership-based care: Average cost for mobile clinic: Average annual cost for community health center:
$50-$100 $65-$529 $1,565
SOURCES: COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS & ROADMAPS, THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS FOUNDATION, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
Percentage of uninsured individuals 2013 2024 Katy and Fulshear have seen fewer uninsured people.
Looking ahead
Katy
Fulshear
cooperative partnership with Next Level called Health Access Plus Prime, said similar to membership-based care, people pay a monthly fee to join Health Access. Goetze said with a $1,000 deductible, a single person age 30-39 pays $316 per month, and a family of four in that same age range pays $778 per month. Aron said other options to insurance include the universal single payer, where one entity is responsible for providing health care instead of multiple private insurance companies.
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online data tool that monitors the performance of the U.S. health care system, reports health care spending will reach 19.7% of the country’s gross domestic product by 2032, which has health o cials looking at other alternative insurance options. One example of that is a health cooperative, which aims to compete against private insurance by o ering a member-owned cooperative that pays doctors and hospitals directly to keep costs down. Art Goetze, CEO of Scoop Health, a health
25%
22.4%
20%
15%
10.4%
10%
2.8%
5%
6.5%
0%
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU AND ACS 5 YEAR ESTIMATE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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KATY FULSHEAR EDITION
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