Recently,
with discussions over occupations and shortages, it is clear that our nation
will need many primary care physicians to sustain a growing, and aging
population.
Forbes explains clearly, "About four percent of American
medical graduates are choosing careers in primary care. As the number of
primary care residents grow, this number will probably increase a bit, but I
wouldn’t count on it. About eighty percent of the time, primary care residents
choose to move on to a subspecialty. The reasons are complex, but not
unknowable. PCPs tend to work longer hours and get paid less then their
specialist colleagues, but their debt burden isn’t any less. With average
medical school debt approaching $200,000 its no wonder doctors reach for higher-paying
positions."
In
negation to my recent post about the benefits of an individual health mandate,
it appears that Obamacare will exacerbate the already growing problem of a
doctor shortage in the U.S. Expanding health
insurance universally will overwhelmingly burden the capacity of the health
care system. The U.S. would see a shortage of primary care physicians for a few
reasons: First, the Annals of Family Medicine explains in December that a
health insurance requirement would result in 20 million more primary care
visits annually due to increased demand. The number of primary care physicians
would not change though, placing stress on the system. Second, the Doctors
Company, a physician research firm, notes in a February 2012 study that 43% of
doctors are considering moving up their retirements five years early as a
result of their dissatisfaction with health care expansion. Moreover, Forbes
explains in August that 83% of doctors are considering quitting their jobs
entirely. Even if just a fraction do decide to leave the profession, the
shortage begins. Third,
the Doctors Company continues that 9 out of 10 physicians would not recommend
becoming a part of the health care profession as a result of health car
expansion. In fact, some doctors are actively dissuading prospective students
from going into the medical field, lowering the number of primary care
physicians for the future.
Put
all of these situations together, and a primary care physician shortage is
imminent. The Association of American Medical Colleges explains in 2010 that an
American physicians shortage will be accelerated by five years as a result of
health insurance requirements, lacking 63,000 physicians by 2015. This has
negative implications: First, the Heartlander Institute explains that increased
burdens on doctors will increase wait times, which not only lowers the quality
of care provided, but also dissuades patients from even going to the doctor at
all. If the purpose of health insurance requirements is to improve health care,
it would be doing the opposite. Second, the American College of Physicians
conducted a study and found that for every addition primary care physician
among 10,000 people, 3.5 deaths were prevented. However, if millions more
people are adding to the population while primary care physicians dwindle, we
will see a marked increase in American mortality.
Is it more important to address the issue of the doctor shortages when considering whether or not we should require our citizens with health care, or does the issue of rights/constituionality take precedent? Please comment your thoughts and weigh in your opinion weather you think an individual health mandate would be beneficial/harmful to the United States.