What is it like for people living in poverty to take the afternoon off to go see a doctor?

Not only do they forgo badly needed wages, but often they must also find someone to watch their children and then scramble to catch a ride or come up with bus fare – only to spend five minutes with the doctor and leave with a prescription that doesn’t address their most pressing concerns.

The Commonwealth Fund’s Shanoor Seervai and Corinne Lewis listened to stories like this from more than 100 low-income patients and the primary care providers who serve them.

On this episode of The Dose, they discuss what they learned about the time constraints and financial barriers that can make it an ordeal for people living in poverty to seek even the most routine health care.