Latest news with #urbanAreas
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Doctor Wait Times Average One Month In U.S.
Patients are waiting an average of 31 days to schedule an appointment with a doctor, according to a ... More study by AMN Healthcare of commonly used specialty physicians in 15 major U.S. cities. Patients are waiting an average of 31 days to schedule an appointment with a doctor, according to a study of commonly used specialty physicians in 15 major U.S. cities. This year's report by AMN Healthcare shows a 19% increase from 2022 when patients waited an average of 26 days in major U.S. cities. The 2025 survey polled more than 1,300 physician offices looking at average wait time among six specialties: obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, gastroenterology, and family medicine. The report is also a snapshot into the nation's doctor shortage even in urban areas that are considered better staffed with physicians than rural areas. A report last month by the consulting firm Avalere commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute said the number of independent physicians in rural areas fell 43% between January 2019 and January 2024. And the Association of American Medical Colleges says the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to a report the group released last year. AMN Healthcare said the metropolitan areas that made up the survey sampling have 'some of the highest physician-to-population ratios in the country.' 'It's a sobering sign for the rest of the country when even patients in large cities must wait weeks to see a physician,' said Leah Grant, president of AMN Healthcare's Physician Solutions division, formerly known as Merritt Hawkins. The increasing time to schedule an appointment comes as more Americans get health insurance and health systems and plans report pent up demand for physician services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 'Average physician appointment wait times are the longest they have been since we began conducting the survey in 2004,' Grant said. 'Longer physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a growing shortage of physicians.' Here the wait times for the six specialists analyzed for the report. The AMN Healthcare survey includes data from 1,391 physician offices located in 15 metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Government can kiss goodbye to its plan for lifting the rent cap
The news that rents are climbing at their fastest rate in 20 years and have passed €2,000 a month nationally should, in theory, put the kibosh on any plans to lift the cap on rents that applies in pretty much every urban area of the State. The Government has been trailing the idea since the last election, based on the premise that it will kick-start development, particularly the sort of large apartment schemes considered crucial to making a dent in the housing shortage . Even allowing for the fact that the figure of €2,000 per month contained in the Daft quarterly rental report is asking rents – for properties that are coming to market, including new builds exempt from the rent cap – the lifting of the cap now looks like a non-starter politically. The construction industry argues, rather counterintuitively, that ever-rising rents simply bolster their argument for doing away with the cap The true picture may be somewhat different. According to the most recent report from the Residential Tenancy Board, the average rent for new tenancies nationally rose by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to €1,680 in the fourth quarter of 2024. It rose by 4.6 per cent year-on-year for existing tenancies nationally to €1,440. READ MORE This is a moderation in the rate of rental inflation, it argues, but the problem for the Government is that the figure that matters is in the Daft figure as that is the one the Opposition will use to beat them up in the Dáil should they lift the cap and expose sitting tenants to significant increases. The construction industry argues, rather counterintuitively, that ever-rising rents simply bolster their argument for doing away with the cap. They are right up to a point. The reason rents are rising is because there is insufficient supply. The number of new homes commenced so far this year is eight times lower than the comparable period last year and at its lowest since 2016, according to the Department of Housing . 'I've entrepreneurial spirit in my veins' – Apprentice star Jordan Dargan Listen | 44:45 According to the industry a negative feedback loop has set in. Rent caps are discouraging investors and developers from building apartments and houses for rent and this is squeezing supply, which in turn is pushing up rents to record levels. The solution, they argue, is to remove rent caps and allow rents to move until such time as a positive feedback loop sets in. Leaving aside the possibility that capitalism is broken beyond repair, there is no doubt that the Government is in a very tricky place Of course, it won't work that way – not in the short term at least – and actively encouraging such an inflationary cycle brings us one step closer to the sort of housing market crash that some think is the only way out of the current mess. Leaving aside the possibility that capitalism is broken beyond repair, there is no doubt that the Government is in a very tricky place. The main argument for lifting rent caps – made by everyone from Taoiseach Micheál Martin downwards – is to encourage international investors into the market. Again, the argument is correct up to a point. If you want to get the sort of investment funds that are funding large developments here to invest more in the Republic, you have to offer them a better return than they can get from investing elsewhere in other assets. That means higher rents. The societal and political costs of lifting the rent cap have to be considered There does, however, come a point when the returns these funds are looking for are so expensive to the State that other sources of capital become more attractive. And this is where we find ourselves. The cost of getting money from these funds goes beyond allowing them to make large profits by charging high rents. The societal and political costs of lifting the rent cap have to be considered. The main one is the possibility of a political upheaval driven by the rise in prices and rent that will occur before the predicted moderation in rents kicks in, assuming it ever does. There is also the possibility of some sort of crash. The thing to remember about crashes is that most people don't see them coming, or else there would not be crashes. The Government would argue that it has other tools it can use to bring down the costs of construction, which in turn, should allow investors to get the returns they seek without a jump in prices. It may look like international investors have a gun to the Government's head. But that is always the wrong time to make a deal, particularly when you have the best part of €15bn in rainy day funds There are two problems here. The first is that progress in areas such as planning reform is just too slow and there is no real reason to believe that this will change. The second is that the world doesn't work that way. Investors will bank any savings rather than pass them on to tenants. Lifting the rent cap to encourage international investment is arguably the biggest gamble this Government will take. The potential for it to blow up in their faces is significant. It may look like international investors have a gun to the Government's head. But that is always the wrong time to make a deal, particularly when you have the best part of €15 billion sitting in rainy day funds. It's time to look out the window ... the rain is pouring down.
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Research shows alomost one in four e-scooter users have been involved in a collision
Research from the Road Safety Authority shows 24 per cent of e-scooter users have been involved in a collision. 32 per cent have been involved in a near miss, with all reported collisions involving men. Advertisement Five per cent of adults have used e-scooters in the last year, with 75 per cent under the age of 35. 65 per cent of users live in Dublin, with 97 per cent residing in urban areas. 13 per cent said they carry a child passenger, while 8 per cent said they carry an adult passenger. Dr John Cronin, Emergency Medicine Consultant at St Vincent's Hospital and board member of the Road Safety Authority said the research aligns with injuries being treated in emergency departments. 'E-scooters have quickly become a popular mode of transport, particularly in our cities — but with that popularity comes vulnerability. As an emergency medicine consultant, I've seen just how frequent and serious the injuries can be when things go wrong - from broken bones to serious head trauma. "E-scooter users have very little protection and very little room for error, especially when mixing with larger, faster vehicles. Everyone on the road — whether walking, cycling, driving, or using an e-scooter — has a role to play in keeping each other safe. "By staying alert and respectful, we can prevent lives from being tragically lost or forever altered by serious injury.'
