Mark Dolliver: Maybe They Can Ask Their Butcher

When people ignore ads that urge them to “ask your doctor” about a medication, it might be because they aren’t on speaking terms with a physician. Research by the National Center for Health Statistics finds 21 percent of adults didn’t go to a doctor or other health professional in the past 12 months. The chart gives some demographic detail. By one crude measure, the disparity by economic class is smaller than the gender gap: Twenty-five percent of those classified as poor didn’t go to a health professional in the 12-month period, vs.