What about regular, stand-alone ob-gyn offices, you ask? Those are also unlikely to be able to handle the mass of new patients, not only because these doctors are less likely to even take Medicaid but also because there are simply not enough of them. “The closure of Planned Parenthood clinics would be gravely disappointing and damaging for patients and health care providers, alike,” says the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s Executive Vice President and CEO, Hal Lawrence, MD. “For women’s health-care providers, the closure of Planned Parenthood clinics would put immense pressure on existing private and unaffiliated public practices to accommodate an even larger population of patients. Increased demands on fewer practices affects patients by making it more difficult to see doctors quickly, particularly for routine visits, or delaying screening results as the volume increases, and staff struggle to keep up with the pace.”