Physicians and Other Healthcare Practitioners
In 2014, there were nearly 700,000 U.S. physicians and surgeons. In the past, physicians traditionally practiced solo, but more often physicians are practicing in a group practice to reduce administrative costs. In 2014, there were 151,000 dentists. The job outlook for both physicians and dentists is very positive due to the aging of the U.S. population. Other healthcare practitioners include chiropractors, optometrists, psychologists, therapists, and alternative medicine practitioners (BLS, 2016e).
Alternative health or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, who practice unconventional health therapies such as yoga, vitamin therapy, and spiritual healing, are being sought out by consumers, who have to pay out of pocket for these services because they are currently not covered by health insurance companies. However, chiropractors and acupuncturists who are also considered alternative medicine practitioners are more likely to be covered by health insurance companies. Recognizing consumer interest in this type of medicine, in 1998, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established within the National Institutes of Health. Its purpose is to explore these types of practices in the context of rigorous science, train complementary and alternative researchers, and disseminate information. More medical schools are now offering some courses in alternative medicine.
According to the NCHS, an estimated 59 million persons aged 4 years and over had at least one expenditure for some type of complementary health approach, resulting in total out-of-pocket expenditures of $30.2 billion. More was spent on visits to complementary practitioners ($14.7 billion) than for purchases of natural product supplements ($12.8 billion) or self-care approaches ($2.7 billion) (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016).