My previous primary care doctor stopped accepting Aetna insurance, which is just completely insane when you think about it: Next to United Healthcare, Aetna is likely the largest health insurance provider in New York. She has stated on her website that for new patients, she is only accepting them as “out of network” or with no health insurance. Well, isn’t that nice for her and awful for the rest of us. Even though I did like her and found her to be one of the best doctors I’ve had in terms of patience and bedside manner, all this just feels very greedy to me, and it made me mad to see this on her website before I had attempted to make an appointment.

So I ended up going to ZocDoc and choosing the least terrible GP option with availability in the next week, along with less than 10 blocks walking distance from the apartment (because… why would I travel for a doctor who I was unlikely to stay with?!). The doctor I ended up seeing belongs to Summit Health, which merged with CityMD. And when I walked into the office today, I couldn’t believe how swanky it was, not to mention how spacious. How do these people afford this rent??

It was a straightforward appointment, with little surprises or interest anywhere. The doctor seemed nice enough, but she wasn’t the kind of person I’d want to see again unless it was really necessary. She asked all the usual questions and had an assistant with us the entire time. I just feel like finding a good doctor you want to stick with, who you actually think cares about you even remotely, is nearly impossible. That’s why finding a doctor stinks. That’s why making the appointments isn’t fun. It’s like you can’t even pay people to care about you.