Eighty-three percent of American physicians have considered leaving
their practices over President Barack Obama’s health care reform law,
according to a survey released by the Doctor Patient Medical
Association.
The DPMA, a non-partisan association of doctors and patients, surveyed
a random selection of 699 doctors nationwide. The survey found that the
majority have thought about bailing out of their careers over the
legislation, which was upheld last month by the Supreme Court.
Even if doctors do not quit their jobs over the ruling, America will
face a shortage of at least 90,000 doctors by 2020. The new health care
law increases demand for physicians by expanding insurance coverage.
This change will exacerbate the current shortage as more Americans live
past 65.
By 2025 the shortage will balloon to over 130,000, Len Marquez, the
director of government relations at the American Association of Medical
Colleges, told The Daily Caller.
“One of our primary concerns is that you’ve got an aging physician
workforce and you have these new beneficiaries — these newly insured
people — coming through the system,” he said. “There will be strains and
there will be physician shortages.”
The DPMA found that many doctors do not believe the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act will lead to better access to medical
care for the majority of Americans, co-founder of the DPMA Kathryn
Serkes told TheDC.
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