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(NaturalNews) You want a cell phone. You do your research and find that you have several options. You can choose from Nextel, Sprint, Nokia, Cingular, AT&T, Helio, T-Mobile, and an ever expanding list of providers. Each company strives to increase quality and reputation to persuade you and me to buy their product.

As a result quality moves up and customers have several options.

Business leaders and entrepreneurs in Michigan and around the country see that this is not true of health care. Limited choices, rising costs, and very strict licensing laws make it hard for new businesses to enter the market.

Several companies in Michigan are attempting to change that. These entrepreneurs see a problem and are presenting a solution in the form of in-store health clinics. The result: in some parts of the country you can see the doctor on the way out of Walmart, CVS, or Walgreens.

MinuteClinic (www.minuteclinic.com), the first and largest provider of retail-based health care in the United States, recentrly opened 9 retail based health care facilities.

"MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by master's-prepared, board- certified nurse practitioners who specialize in family health care and are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations such as influenza, tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis A & B," says an August 30 press release from the company.

In-store clinics are sprouting up all over the country as an ever growing number of residents either cannot afford traditional health insurance or have decided that it is not worth the high cost.

In the past 18 months, 28 clinics have opened up, primarily in southeastern Michigan. There are roughly 500 in-store clinics right now and estimates show that there will be 700 by the end of 2007. Projections show that there will be a whopping 3,000 by 2009, according to the Convenient Care Association.

The American Medical Association, a lobbyist group that represents American doctors, is attempting to use its tremendous influence to stifle the growth of these free-market solutions. They have issued a nationwide advisory calling for states to regulate the clinics - out of concern that there may be a conflict of interest between the pharmacy companies that Walmart and other stores operate.

The AMA's advisory is a signal that doctors are nervous about losing money to these lower cost alternative clinics, says Devon Herrick, a health economist for the National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit organization that promotes a competitive, private health sector. He goes on, "There will be tremendous pressure for traditional physicians to be offering more convenient services."

The clinics will obviously not be able to perform all the services that a doctor can. However, there will be a decrease in revenue to doctors because many people will opt to go to a cheaper walk in clinic for minor problems like runny noses or stomach aches.

Clinic leaders say they are providing health care solutions to people who would otherwise go without care, or who would have to pay steep prices at the hospital. The clinic charges $40 - $50 for what a hospital would charge $150 or $200.

Juliet A. Santos, president of Early Solutions Clinic, said that about 40 percent of her patients are uninsured. "We are seeing a majority of people who don't have insurance and they're looking for access and affordability."

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a different view. They warn against using the clinics because they are outside the normal system and therefore lack the record keeping requirements that hospitals have. The rationale here is that if you keep great track of a patient's records, you can help them by monitoring their health and providing solutions based on their history.

Many Americans believe that it is better to leave the decision making process in the hands of the consumer.

Others argue that new government regulations are the only way to protect the consumer from unscrupulous vendors in the marketplace.

The debate will most likely continue to heat up as more Americans feel the strain of high health care costs. One thing is certain. These clinics add something to this debate – another choice.

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