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“Health of the Nation” host Dr. Mitchell Brooks on the impact of the health-care law on the number of doctors in America.
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Code blue on doctors.
A new report showing an alarming shortage of primary care physicians.
And since it usually takes ten years to become a doctor raises the question what will happen when Obama care adds fourteen million people to the system and less than two years.
What -- Mitchell Brooks host of the radio show health of the nation doctor -- welcome to the show great to have you here.
You know separate some time that we have a big shortage of physicians particularly primary care physicians in this country.
What is gonna happen to the quality of care after obamacare goes into place and we need even more of them.
Well it's hard to say.
But I think several facts -- certainly are.
President and come into play first.
By 2015.
They're gonna be 62000.
Fewer positions than are necessary and that number's gonna double by 20/20 five.
We do know that they're going to be.
Anywhere between fourteen and twenty million more people in Medicaid.
We do know that only 50% of currently current primary care physicians will be accepting Medicaid patients so that -- be a shortage in that way and we do know that we're not training enough.
Primary care physicians as it is for multiple reasons.
So the -- are pretty obvious and their trended may have been trending for the last fifteen or twenty years and that is.
That the system is going to collapse and when you include Medicaid patients in with the baby boomers.
And the increase in Medicare patients which will be to 75 million by 20/20 five from fifty million today.
You've got a real crisis on your hands and you know hello knock -- to the New York Times we've been well.
About -- Year's numbers doctor.
-- electors needed.
According to the American medical colleges association 45000.
Doctors to be added by the health care a -- 3000 clearly out of -- out of step -- can't help but hurt.
That the quality of care you know -- I wonder sometimes.
Obama -- seems to be written it's all about insurance at all about actually having something that says you have coverage but does it matter.
If you can't get in to see a doctor at the end of today.
Well that's right you've you've had that now right on the head Jerry precisely that.
Great you have access but so why you can't get -- see anybody and good luck and seeing a doctor in the first place you'll likely see a physician extender that is to say -- nurse practitioner or physician's assistant.
Which by the way is not a bad thing these are very highly trained people.
And then if you need to see a specialist well.
That's not going to happen because as more and more people are driven towards the central system of payment.
The decisions to send people to the specialists will become more and more constrained.
So you're gonna have a system that essentially runs into itself and collapses in upon itself.
The numbers judged just don't add up I mean it's not a question of opinion it's -- question fact.
Exactly it -- what kinds of up unintended consequences might this have.
Well we create a situation where there's clearly a two tiered system -- really wealthy get coverage nobody else does.
I mean what kinds of results could this have long term.
The answer is yes you hit the nail on the had again.
What's going to happen in my view is what happened in Canada and certain provinces and in great Britain -- you're going to have a two tiered system.
You're gonna have physicians that will not accept to be central.
Government health insurance as they will want to be paid for their time.
And then you have the bulk of physicians who will accept government care.
And what really is going to happen is because of the shortage of physicians that will accept Medicare and Medicaid.
The government is going to have to legislate physicians to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients which raises some very significant.
Constitutional issues.
If -- on the first time when that doesn't care doctor -- we've already had many well.
Backed constitutional issues -- the fascinating conversation you've got to that come back and talk to -- more potentially about your experience in Canada.
-- -- -- practiced for so be delighted to fascinating conversation thank you so much thank you.
Thank you man good.
