What Physicians Think of ObamaCare and What They Are Doing in Response to It

How can you know what physicians think until you see what you say.

Anonymous

Patients are asking ,”What do you doctors really think about ObamaCare?” They trust their doctors, and they want to know what they think.

It's am important question, for doctors remain an integral essential part of the health system. How they react to the health law may determine its future.

According to a 2014 biennial survey of 20,000 physicians conducted by the Physicians Foundation, objective evidence exists how physicians feel about the Affordable Care Act and how they are responding to its injunctions and mandates.

Here is how physicians responded when asked how they felt and are reacting to ObamaCare.

Physicians said:

• 81% - feel overextended or practicing at full capacity

• 19% - still had time to see more patients

• 53% - were employees of hospitals or large medical groups

• 35% - were in independent practice

• 17% - were in solo practice

• 29% - would not choose medicine as a career if they had it to do over again

• 44% - were positive about future

• 50% - would still recommend medicine as career

• 69% - believed their clinical autonomy was compromised

• 24% - didn’t accept Medicare patients or limited the number they saw

• 38% - didn't accept Medicaid patients or limited number they saw

• 33% - didn’t plan to participate in health exchanges

• 72% - believed physician shortage exists

• 85% - had electronic health records

• 7% - practiced in direct cash/concierge settings

• 13% - planned to transition to direct cash-concierge practices

• Averaged 53 hour work week

• 20% - Spent 20% of time on non-clinical paperwork

• 26% - participated in accountable care organizations

• 39% - planned to accelerate retirement.

Overall Physician Foundation conclusions - Physicians are not uniform in perspective or practices. Younger, female, employed physician are more positive. Older physicians, specialists, practice owners are more negative.

My comment: Does what physicians think and do abot ObamaCare make a difference?

I think it does.

Physician thinking and actions portend less access for Medicare, Medicaid, and health exchange patients and a growing physician shortage even in the face of greater insurance coverage. Their practices and perspective fly in the face of the political reality that voters distrust ObamaCare and trust physicians more than government. When all is said and done, this fundamental question arises: What good in increased coverage without doctors to care for patients?

But there is a huge problem: by and large most people are unaware of what physician think. Increased and objective awareness of what physician think needs to be transmitted on a greater scale and in more systematic way to the media and through a widely publicized book on the subject, with a title such as How Physicians Feel About ObamaCare: and How They Are Reacting and What They Are Doing about It.