UP Ibalon Bicol: MDs plan to quit & its potential impact when 46 million uninsured Americans get their medical coverage

MDs plan to quit & its potential impact when 46 million uninsured Americans get their medical coverage

11/20/2008 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Before Pres. Barack Obama can assume office and work on his promised universal health care for Americans, primary care physicians in the United States are saying they are overworked.

Almost half of them plan to cut back on their practices or quit seeing patients. They are lobbying for rational reimbursements in their insurance claims particularly on Medicare and Medicaid patients.

In the survey by the Physician’s Foundation, 90% percent of doctors complain they devote too much time in paper work rather than take care of patients. Frustrated by the work environment, 60% of those surveyed is not recommending medicine as a career. Reuters (11/17/08, Fox, M; Wilson, C)

Experts say that there’ll be an increase in number of those who’ll need health care services. A rise of work load required for the aging Americans and the newly insured plus the upward climb in cost of treatment and medicines are likely to lead to a rationed medical care that Americans haven’t been used to.

Under the plan of Obama, 46 million uninsured will gain access to medical services. If not handled correctly, these may mean more triage of patients in the emergency rooms, longer lines in the doctor’s offices, greater cuts on tests, denials on procedures, and slowing of getting consultation appointments and treatments. The current health care isn’t ready to absorb the volume of work, much worse, if doctors scale down their practices or retire early from their jobs. (Photo Credits: by Julie70; Allsus)=0=