Social networks and the probability of having a regular family doctor.

Social supports have been shown to affect health in a variety of ways. This paper explores a hitherto ignored avenue linking social supports to health, namely through their influence on having a regular family doctor. We examine the role played by social supports in helping to explain why a significant portion of the Canadian population does not have a regular family doctor even though primary care is fully covered by the public insurer and when having a regular physician is associated with better care and with access to specialists.