(Reuters) - The U.S. healthcare reform law will worsen a shortage of physicians as millions of newly insured patients seek care, the Association of American Medical Colleges said on Thursday.
The group's Center for Workforce Studies released new estimates that showed shortages would be 50 percent worse in 2015 than forecast.
"While previous projections showed a baseline shortage of 39,600 doctors in 2015, current estimates bring that number closer to 63,000, with a worsening of shortages through 2025," the group said in a statement.
"The United States already was struggling with a critical physician shortage and the problem will only be exacerbated as 32 million Americans acquire health care coverage, and an additional 36 million people enter Medicare."
Medicare is the federal health insurance plan for people over the age of 65, and census projections show that group growing as the giant baby boomer generation born from 1946 to 1964 hits retirement age.
The U.S. healthcare reform plan signed into law by President Barack Obama in March is designed to provide insurance to 32 million Americans who now lack it.
More (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68T67120100930)
We had a doc shortage here before Obamacare passed. Its a rough ride trying to find a family practitioner that will take new patients. We now have specialists that refuse to take medicare. Its going to get ugly before its over..and i believe the number of people wanting this gone is going to rise.
The only jobs I see opening up thanks to the o b care is for Undertakers. :(
There is absolutely no surprise among conservatives. We were saying this all throughout the debate. This bill is stupid and needs to he repealed.
Quote from: Cryptic Bert on September 30, 2010, 08:34:15 PM
(Reuters) - The U.S. healthcare reform law will worsen a shortage of physicians as millions of newly insured patients seek care, the Association of American Medical Colleges said on Thursday.
The group's Center for Workforce Studies released new estimates that showed shortages would be 50 percent worse in 2015 than forecast.
"While previous projections showed a baseline shortage of 39,600 doctors in 2015, current estimates bring that number closer to 63,000, with a worsening of shortages through 2025," the group said in a statement.
"The United States already was struggling with a critical physician shortage and the problem will only be exacerbated as 32 million Americans acquire health care coverage, and an additional 36 million people enter Medicare."
Medicare is the federal health insurance plan for people over the age of 65, and census projections show that group growing as the giant baby boomer generation born from 1946 to 1964 hits retirement age.
The U.S. healthcare reform plan signed into law by President Barack Obama in March is designed to provide insurance to 32 million Americans who now lack it.
More (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68T67120100930)
Not only that, but more non-medicare/medicaid docs are saying that they're going to quit. They just don't want to be a part of a basically national health care system. I can't say that I blame them, but I do say that I blame our Obama administration and Congress.
1. Very few doctors currently take medicaid. Not only are the reimbursements too low to make financial sense for the physicians. Also I've had multiple physicians tell me that accepting medicaid patients effectively doubles their malpractice insurance rates.
2. More and more doctors are not taking new Medicare patients. Also the Mayo clinic is moving away from accepting Medicare patients as well.
3. And specialists are telling me it's harder to get reimbursed for various types of diagnostic tests.
This is a bad combination of events people and it will dramatically alter the type of healthcare you can expect.