The person who walks in the front door of a doctor's office and pays cash almost always pays the highest price charged for that service. Laws prevent nurse practitioners from practicing independently of doctors and offering low cost basic and preventive health care. Economically, services provided by such practitioners could be offered at lower rates than a doctor charges. A nurse would treat a less complex set of problems, and thus have less overhead and lower malpractice insurance costs. Less overhead equals lower prices to patients and lower prices mean more access.
Doctors are a male dominated profession, and nursing is a female dominated profession.
Dentists successfully have lobbied for restrictions on denturists that practice independently. The attitude of dentists is that people should not have dental appliances unless they pay the higher fees charged by dentists. This has serious consequences for both the self-image and employability of persons needing such treatment but who do not have the money to pay the extortionate prices charged by dentists. It is a curious commentary on an allegedly free market. Such craziness extends to government programs.