Medical Insurance Reform & A Shortage of Doctors Warning
Posted on Mon, Jun 21, 2010
With the passage of medical insurance reform, many groups are worried that America could see a severe shortage of doctors. In 2014, there will be 30 million new potential patients coming into a system that already has emergency rooms at full capacity and physicians waiting rooms full.
By 2025, there could be a loss of up to 125,000 physicians, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. According to a federal agency that mostly improves medical care for the uninsured, they think that there will be a shortage in 2020, when America will be short of 65,560 doctors. Likewise, a shortage of 149,000 is projected by the American Family of Physicians in 2020.
The various groups concerned are warning that there could be much lengthier waiting times, and much longer distances to travel to see a doctor, shorter visits, elevated costs, and in some areas where the shortage will be extreme, there will be no physicians at all.
Most medical providers agree that there will be a shortage of primary care physicians at some point. In addition, there will be more neonatal doctors than what is needed, and very few general surgeons. Baby boomers will be getting to the age where more medical care will be required, and doctors' assistants and nurses will have a shortage.
The ratio of doctors to the overall population has been increasing since 1930. However, that ratio has started to decline for the first time in 80 years. Between the years of 2000 and 2030, the amount of people over the age of 65 will double. Couple that with the fact that the medical care that they will require will be 200% or 300% higher than other adults.
In addition to the baby boomer generation, it is estimated that the U.S. population is expected to increase from 300 million people to 350 million in 2025.
What is needed is a 30% increase in enrollment in medical school by the year 2015.
There may also be a shortage of doctors in specific areas of medicine, such as child psychiatry, and other types of subspecialties of pediatrics. Money also plays a big factor in what medical care is performed. A 30 minute visit in a doctors' office would provide a doctor with $103.42 from Medicare, and a colonoscopy which takes 30 minutes would provide a doctor with $449.44 from Medicare.
Likewise, an opthalmologist makes twice the income treating an adult compared to a child. A newly enrolled medical student who decides to major in primary care instead of cardiology will lose $3.5 million over the course of their career.