Posted on 01/03/2013 6:05:01 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
Roughly 4 million additional Californians are expected to obtain health insurance by 2014 through the federal health law, an expansion that will likely exacerbate the state's doctor shortage and could even squeeze primary care access in the Bay Area, experts say.
Even without the Affordable Care Act, a worsening doctor shortage had been forecast as the state's and nation's population ages and grows, and as a generation of older doctors retires. But by mandating that individuals have insurance and expanding Medicaid, the law will extend coverage to an additional 30 million Americans and place a greater strain on the physician workforce, especially for primary care.
"Now with the Affordable Care Act, we're going to have an even greater need," said state Sen. Ed Hernandez,D-West Covina (Los Angeles County), chairman of the Senate Health Committee. The need for more primary care doctors is addressed in the federal health law through various financial incentives, and California's medical schools and hospitals are putting a greater emphasis on primary care training and expanding residency programs. But the effects of such efforts may not be felt for years.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
No problem...just take some affirmative-action, equal-opportunity ferals off the streets and make them “doctors”. Problem solved. What’s to worry? Happy days are here again.
I’m an ER doc in my late 50s. My personal “bailout “ timeline is to be out of the ER in 2 years, when the full implementation of this mess is scheduled. ALmost all the docs I know near my age have similar plans. Younger ones are looking for other options in non clinical physician jobs too.
I remember the day after Reagan’s first election as a med student being in the OR lounge and seeing the surgeons and anesthesiologist s high five and say “ no socialized medicine in our lifetime”. Well I almost made it...
We are living through a very unusual time in the doctor biz.
The hours/week distribution is totally inverted by age - the older a doctor is, the more hours he works. The younger a doctor is, the fewer hours she works.
So, every doctor who retires or dies needs 2-3 young doctors to do their work.
This effect is going to become very pronounced, and very visible, in the next few years. My medical school class reaches 65 in 2015. There were 226 in my class, and there are about 215 in the class of 2015.
Except that we worked 70 hour weeks as the norm, and these kids expect 32 max with 6 weeks vacation.
Brave new world. Don't get sick.
My PCP is the founder of a very large family care practice. He’s in his early 60’s and I honestly don’t ever see him retiring. He absolutely loves what he does and now his son will be joining him this summer.
Just turned 50 but my timeline is similar. I’m out as soon as I get my kids out of college. So is DH who is 54..... Otherwise we might have worked 10 more years. I am working on options to support myself until I can afford to retire completely.
I’m going to have a good laugh when the libs that thought Obamacare was going to be wonderfull have to wait months to see a Doctor....meanwhile “Elites” like Pelosi will be ushered in first. Let them eat Botox??
The ACA should have addressed medical school seats and admissions. From what I’ve read in the past the AMA, or some such organizing body, controls the number of doctors able to enter the profession every year. If this was addressed it would probably go a long way to alleviating the doctor shortage problem.
I have a relative in California who is a Democrat and thinks that Obamacare is the greatest thing that ever came down the pike. Well, he’s old and likely will learn what has been wrought.
Soon med schools will be like law schools. There will be online courses and all sorts of short cuts, not to mention all the MD’s with a name with more vowels than not. There will be a glut like we see in attorneys.
I’m not too sure. All you need to start a new law school is a library, a couple of classrooms and a few lawyers who want some extra income. Starting a medical school is a little more complicated, requiring laboratories, cadavers, MDs, PhDs, clinics, a hospital — details like that.
Our GP retired when he saw the writing on the wall with Obama care. We did go to the doctor who bought out his practice a few times. He isn’t a great doctor (and I am being nice). Right now, we don’t have a GP. Asked a few neighbors for a referral... they don’t have a GP either. (very similar stories). Maybe I can try to get some names from Maryland freepers....
Not when NObama writes an order to ease the requirements, for the good of the people.
My blanket advice is not to ever get sick!
It would be nice if freeloving doctors, pharmacist etc. can get together and get some really rich invididuals and build a medical center without any government intervention. Like I recall watching a new segment about a doctor who refuses insurances and any government interference. It was just him and his patient. I believe he charged 40 buccks for office visit and his patient paid him in cash.
or...
Are we stuck with using Obama’s Witch Doctor?
A family member who is currently in nursing school has told me that they are all being trained on how to give a complete physical. Very interesting.
Re:No problem...just take some affirmative-action, equal-opportunity ferals off the streets and make them “doctors”. Problem solved. What’s to worry? Happy days are here again.
Rutgers University program guides disadvantaged students to medical careers
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/rutgers_university_program_pus.html
If that doesn’t work there are always guest workers from countries that share neither language, nor culture, nor ethics with us.
That’s exactly what’s happening in South Africa. Zimbabwe kicked out a self-described “neuro surgeon” after he made one mistake too many (don’t know if he ever actually performed surgery of any kind). So he hightailed it over to South Africa where he was accepted as a doctor. Apparently it is very difficult to get rid of malpracticing drs there anyway, and even moreso if they are of the “protected group”.
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