Some insurances require it.  Going to specialist must be referred from a PCP.
Billie in AR

PCP primary care physical aka GP in most cases where insurance limits
access.

Luckily my PCP is my endo and my insurance has no problem paying for
the access.

Here is what doctors income's look like
http://www.physicianssearch.com/physician/salary2.html
http://www.intlmedicalplacement.com/news.php3?catID=13
The median 2003 taxable income for primary care doctors was $156,902.
That includes internists, pediatricians, and family doctors who do not
practice obstetrics. All 3 groups have incomes that are close to the
overall median figure.

The median for all specialists was just under $300,000, but that
encompasses a range of $162,572 for psychiatrists to $410,272 for
invasive cardiologists. The only other specialty earning less than
$200,000 was neurology, with a median figure of $190,973.

Liability costs are less that what is claimed, see below
http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=241
The most recent results, published in Physician Socioeconomic
Statistics 2003, are hard to square with the AMA's public claims. The
median malpractice premium was $11,000, quite far from the $200,000
figure on the AMA's website. $200,000, as it turns out, was the median
income.

Of course, the AMA's website isn't talking about doctors in general.
It's talking about doctors "in some high-risk specialties."
Fortunately, the AMA survey breaks income and premiums down across
several medical specialties.

Specialty    Median Premium   Median Income
General/Family Practice    $8,000        $140,000
Internal Medicine    $9,000        $180,000
Surgery                             $20,000        $250,000
Pediatrics                $7,000        $142,000
Obstetrics/Gynecology    $35,000     $225,000
Radiology                $12,000        $350,000
Psychiatry                $4,000        $120,000
Anesthesiology                $12,000        $270,000
Pathology                $7,000        $275,000
Other                             $7,000        $200,000
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Medicare is staffed by bureaucrats, so what can you expect, Chris,
logic??  :)

dave

That quote is not accurate. I see an endo about 5 times a year, primarily to
keep my diabetes under control. Medicare pays their allowable on every
visit. At my last endo visit Medicare paid $84.08 for the 15 minute office
visit. They also paid $46.08 for blood draw and tests. Medicare also would
pay for testing supplies if I wanted them to. I would have owed $16.82 but
in I have Tricare which paid this part.