Any day I expect to pick-up a matchbook cover that says “You Too Can Be a Doctor!”
You’re not far wrong. More and more of primary care is being handled by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Mind, these providers are often EXCELLENT, and the P.A.s have to take med school courses and pass rigorous exams. But they’re the primary care gatekeepers, and it becomes more difficult to simply go see a specialist if you need one; there are delays for appointments. This happens all the time in the UK, and it’s going to take place more and more frequently here.
I work for a physician now. When our patients ask, “Why don’t you like Obamacare? What do you think is going to be so awful?” she says grimly, “Our generation is simply not going to live as long as our parents did.”