Health care costs are strain­ing the pocket books of an ever-increasing number of Americans. For many of us, employers have raised our share of these expenses, meaning more is coming out of our own pockets for medical care, leaving less for other necessities, such as food and gas, both of which have seen recent substantial price hikes.

Because my employer provides excel­lent benefits, I haven’t had to contend with health care issues and have been happy with my medical coverage. In particular, based on several recommendations, I had switched to a new primary care physi­cian, Dr. Taylor (not her real name) about a year and a half ago and found her to be as advertised: friendly, attentive and willing to take the time to get to know her patients. This, I thought, was what a doctor should be.

There was nothing wrong with my previous physician. The problem was that whenever I needed to see him, I felt like an anonymous client, just one of many names and faces. Even the reception area had the atmosphere of a crowded DMV office rather than the calm professionalism of a medical facility.

When I could finally see him, the doc­tor always looked a bit harried and could only give each patient a few minutes before he had to dash off to see the next patient. I didn’t blame the doctor or his staff, who always seemed to be in a rush; I could see they were doing the best they could under the constraints of a cumber­some medical system.

With Dr. Taylor, I felt that my concerns were being heard and I had finally found a physician with whom I was comfortable. However, this changed three weeks ago when she sent a letter to all of her patients. The letter stated that due to escalating costs and declining insurance reimburse­ment rates, she would be discontinuing her relationship with all private insurance companies and become an “out-of-net­work” provider.

Her only alternatives to becoming an out-of-network provider were either to shorten office visits or to become a “bou­tique” practice, where physicians charge each patient an annual $2000-$5000 retainer for the privilege of more person­alized medical care. The retainer did not cover any actual medical services. Neither alternative appealed to Dr. Taylor.

At the time, I didn’t know exactly what all this would mean to me, but I knew it probably wasn’t a good thing. Turns out I was right. Medical care just got a whole lot more expensive.

There would be an economic cost to remain with an out-of-network physi­cian. A call to Dr. Taylor’s medical biller provided me with some unpleasant details. Routine office visits would now cost either $75 or $125, depending on the length of the consultation.

Physical exams would run about $350. My $1,000 out-of-network deductible meant that everything was coming directly out my pocket until my costs exceeded that threshold. Ouch.

To compare costs, I assumed that I would visit my doctor twice a year. For Dr. Taylor, this would involve an out-of-pocket cost of about $200. Factoring in a physical once every two years (I’m not as young as I used to be), it would average out to an additional $175 for a total of $375 per year.

On the other hand, returning to my original physician would be a $20 co-pay for each visit for a total of $40. This means it would cost $335 more per year to stay with Dr. Taylor. It’s a significant amount of money and would give most of us pause.

However, looking at it from a different view puts it into perspective. The extra cost comes out to about a dollar per day, which is less than my satellite television bill. Is an attentive, knowledgeable physi­cian worth the equivalent of 100 additional cable channels?

While writing this column, it also became apparent to me that in spite of the situation I’ve described to you, I’m still one of the lucky ones. I have a great medical plan and don’t have any diseases or ill­nesses that could threaten my coverage.

In contrast, there are too many stories of others who had their benefits reduced or who have lost their jobs and no longer have access to affordable health care. As medical costs continue to rise, there will only be more of these stories and the next time I write about this issue, it might be about a problem with a much more costly resolution.

Fortunately, we have a unique oppor­tunity to address this growing problem. Health care, or lack of it, has been one of the defining issues of the current Presiden­tial campaign with the public rightfully demanding concrete answers.

The candidates have outlined their ideas and are carefully gauging public reaction. As they further define their health care plans, you can be sure that the candidates are acutely aware that millions of Americans will be paying very close attention as Election Day, November 2008 draws closer and closer.

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Joe Soong writes from Alhambra. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.