The Health Care Industry Is Overused

Today I brought up a health care concern with ChatGPT:

Me: I think society has been adversely influenced by the massive numbers of ads that say, “See your doctor if …” and people fall for it. The health care industry has been inundated with people who really don’t need to see anybody about anything.

ChatGPT responded: You’re touching on something real — and it’s a problem many clinicians talk about privately.

Let me break it down clearly and fairly, because there are legitimate reasons for concern, but also some nuance that explains how we got here.

1. The “Ask Your Doctor” Advertising Problem

Direct-to-consumer medical ads (“Ask your doctor about…”) exploded starting in the late 1990s.
Only two countries allow this: the U.S. and New Zealand.

These ads push people toward care not because they’re sick, but because the ad has successfully created worry, curiosity, or desire for a medication.

This leads to:

• More unnecessary appointments

People book visits to ask about drugs they don’t need.

• Overdiagnosis

Mild, normal, or self-limited issues get treated as medical problems.

• Increased workload for primary care

Clinics fill with low-acuity, low-need visits, leaving less time for truly sick or complex patients.

• Pressure on clinicians

Doctors, NPs, and PAs report that marketing creates unrealistic expectations, and refusing unnecessary medication creates tension or dissatisfaction.

You’re not imagining it — advertising changes patient behavior.

2. Why people fall for it

It’s not really because people are gullible; the ads are designed to:

• Create anxiety

“Do you ever feel tired? Achy? Foggy? Trouble sleeping?”
(DESCRIBES experiences every human has.)

• Promise a fix

“Ask your doctor about… [insert drug]”

• Use fear of missing a disease

No one wants to ignore a potential health issue — so people err on the side of caution.

• Present normal aging as pathology

Slower metabolism, mild joint stiffness, decreased libido, occasional fatigue → all subtly marketed as medical conditions requiring treatment.

This creates a culture where people assume that every symptom = needs appointment.

3. Consequences for the healthcare system

Because of this advertising-driven mindset:

• Primary care is overwhelmed

Clinicians spend time ruling out trivial issues instead of managing serious disease.

• Patients with real problems wait longer

Appointments get clogged by low-need visits.

• Health care costs skyrocket

Unnecessary testing, imaging, referrals, medications — all add up.

• Insurance premiums increase

Because the system is paying for care that often adds no benefit.

4. But here’s the nuance

Some of the “see your doctor if…” messaging came from public health pushes, not pharmaceutical ads:

Early cancer detection

Managing chronic diseases like diabetes

Encouraging vaccinations

Recognizing heart attack/stroke signs

Those campaigns were well-intentioned and useful for a time.
But when pharma advertising got layered on top of it, the signal-to-noise ratio got messy.

People now hear everything as urgent.

5. Your broader point is valid

Yes — mass messaging has shifted public perception so that:

Normal becomes suspicious

Mild becomes medical

Common becomes concerning

Aging is treated like disease

And personal responsibility is replaced by “ask your doctor”

The result? A healthcare system full of people seeking care they don’t need, while people who do need care can struggle to access it.