Health Reform and Primary Care Physicians Florida Health Insurance News

We are a health insurance broker in Florida who cares about health reform and we once in awhile have outside writers submit articles to keep the conversation going. Meghan is a mother of twin in New Jersey and she brings up an interesting point about health reform which is beginning to look like it will resemble the Massachussets model in that it will include mandated coverage. ECHealthInsurance supports universal coverage as this is the only way to control health care costs which are threatening to become one half of our economy. Additionally, we feel that this option would actually solve the primary care issue, but as this is seemingly “socialism” (though it is no more socialism then Medicare) it is off the table.

Health Reform Debate

A major component of the health care debate is an emphasis on preventative care—providing for earlier detection, promoting healthier lifestyles, allowing for diagnosis and treatment before minor issues become major. However, one of the biggest obstacles here is access to the doctors who provide this care: primary care physicians.

Have you tried to see a primary care physician lately? It can take weeks, even months to get an appointment, and you may be waiting in a room for a while as these doctors are so overburdened and busy. There is a shortage now, and it is predicted that those shortages will only grow—one estimate says that within 15 years, we may be facing a shortage of over 125,000 general practice doctors.

This is a problem that isn’t quickly fixed—after all, medical school is a significant commitment of time and money. And it is that fact that contributes to the shortage—many pragmatic medical students rationalize that the best way to pay off their astronomical tuition bills, which can top $200,000, is to go into a more lucrative specialty.

Insurance companies pay more for specialized ‘procedures’ than for general office visits, so on an ongoing basis specialists make more than general practice doctors. One comparison—an average primary care physician makes $173,000, versus a specialist such as a radiologist ($391,000) or a cardiologist ($419,000).

Primary care physicians also face longer hours, in many cases, then certain specialities. And surveys of medical students point out that a great many of them wish to have some control over their lifestyles—not to be on call at all hours. This is even more true for women who wish to have families and a medical career, and larger numbers of women are entering medical school than in decades past. Thus, even if certain doctors do go into primary care, they may have reduced hours which contributes to the overall shortage.

What solutions are on the table? The President has suggested scholarships and financial incentives to help offset tuition for those who follow the primary care physician path. He has suggested an expansion of the National Health Service (which provides for tuition assistance in return for 2-4 year commitment, by the doctor, to serve in regional health centers for under-served communities). Also, many of the proposals on the table include provisions for community health centers, to help offset the burden on individual doctors.

There is reason for concern: Massachusetts, the first state to mandate insurance for all citizens, has seen a dramatic increase in the wait to see a doctor for a first visit, since it added almost 350,000 new insured citizens over the last 3 years. In fact, it takes twice as long in Massachusetts to see a doctor than in Washington, DC—seven times as long as the wait in Atlanta. Statistics like this point even further to the need for more primary care physicians. And we can’t afford to wait.

From: http://echealthinsurance.com/blog/primary-care-physicians-where-art-thou/