Doctor Shortage Could Cause Health Care Crash

ABC News ^ | November 13, 2012 | Nisha Nathan

[CutePuppy]

The United States will require at least 52,000 more family doctors in the year 2025 to keep up with the growing and increasingly older U.S. population, a new study found.

The predictions also reflect the passage of the Affordable Care Act — a change that will expand health insurance coverage to an additional 38 million Americans.

"The health care consumer that values the relationship with a personal physician, particularly in areas already struggling with access to primary care physicians should be aware of potential access challenges that they may face in the future if the production of primary care physicians does not increase," said Dr. Andrew Bazemore, director of the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Primary Care and co-author of the study published Monday in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Stephen Petterson, senior health policy researcher at the Robert Graham Center, said the government should take steps — and quickly — to address the problem before it gets out of hand.

"There needs to be more primary care incentive programs that give a bonus to physicians who treat Medicaid patients in effort to reduce the compensation gap between specialists and primary care physicians," said Petterson, who co-authored the study with Bazemore.

< snip >

Green added that he believes this is because currently primary care specialties are not well paid, well treated or respected as compared to subspecialists.

< snip >

Perhaps the best known example of this approach has been Massachusetts, which since 2006 has mandated that every resident obtain health insurance and those that are below the federal poverty level gain free access to health care. But although the state has the second-highest ratio of primary care physicians to population of any state, they are struggling with access to primary care physicians.

[TwoSue]

It’ll all be blamed on the GOP somehow.

[OldPossum]

I say, Good. Dying in the gutter, whether from a brick to the head, from war in Syria, from a Muslim dirty bomb, from hyperinflation and empty stores, from the disappearance of doctors—in other words, all the things the Obama voters voted for—is the only way morons who vote for Democrats will wake up.

Actually, even that will not bring them to an understanding of what they've done. You can't fix stupid.

[CutePuppy]

Low Pay for a docter in America is better than No Pay in India or the Philippines

"Nothing is better than a thick, juicy steak. Stale bread is better than nothing. Therefore, stale bread is better than a thick, juicy steak." - Land of the Blind (2006)

[CutePuppy]

Basically another Social Security and Medicare style payroll deduction is considered ideal by the fascists/proto-fascists that now run this country.

The "key" to making it all work however, is having NO access to the system...

I've long said that the "key" to "saving" Social Security is raising the eligibility age to 99 years. The Social Security "system" will be "saved" - we're not talking about people, just "saving" the "system."

[neverdem]

BTTT!

[Jack Hammer]

Uh... not to be a purveyor of doom and gloom, but considering the price-fixing, hours, and case load the government commissars will dictate to you, the “post office” may be exactly where you’ll be.

[Mom MD]

That’s exactly what I meant. Hence I am working on my exit strategy.....

[diamond6]

Call me an eyore... I think even after all that some would remain unconvinced.

[Arthur McGowan]

People in the Gulag used to write letters to Stalin, begging him to rescue them—convinced that he would be outraged if only he knew how badly some of his citizens were being treated.

[John Galt's cousin]

My point is that health care rationing will necessarily result in the institutionalization of status and privilege defined by political leaders. Not unlike the royalty of Europe assigning titles to the upper crust of society. Perhaps the simplest thing is for us to acknowledge openly the concept of individual equality is now dead and move forward by having the government assign titles of rank to each citizen. The current administration might designate conservative average citizens in flyover country as “untouchable” to the applause of the media and academia.

___________________________________________________________

Astute. I pray you are wrong, and fear you are corect.

God help us.

[Scotswife]

I know a cardiac surgeon who is giving up on heart issues and taking up leg veins.

[dalereed]

We have our doctor and we’re not giving her up!

People that switch or plan to are in deep shit!