Is America Running Out of Doctors?

Same story here in Australia and most of the developed world.

I think the USA better think twice about it's education standards and how it markets the profession (same here), it doesn't help with the whole creationist lobby and all.

Doctors are leaving the profession due to the impossible rigamarole the insurance companies put them through. They spend more time doing paperwork than patient care.
To make it worse, some uneducated pencil pusher in the insurance industry makes the deterimination of just how much time the Doc should spend with each patient, regardless of what the ailment is. To add to the insult, lunatic legislators keep passing inane laws requiring Doctors to stick to an ideological script when dealing with their patients, even to the point of lying and giving false information. If the greedy and the crazy would just stay out of Doctors' way, more would stay in the profession that they aspired to do to begin with.

Congrats, the 1st intelligent comment I've seen in this thread.

You're right. The medical profession is being crushed to death from lawsuits, insurance paperwork, excessive government regulation and the terriffic cost of a medical education.

Actually, I don't know, but Obamacare is doing a good job of discouraging doctors from staying in the profession, or of encouraging them to leave private practise and seek the shelter of a large institution like a hospital. Who would want to run a small clinic with all the new mandates and regulations?

We have a shortage, yes

It's not worth it anymore. Work your tail off and still get sued by some suited rat. People look elsewhere now. Hey become a politician. If you get elected for your second term your going to be a very rich person. You just have to forget about the serving your country part.

Second term most politians get rich first term even after paying back lobbists that put them there,problem seems to be unions,insurance,& politicians,what do these people have in common they all care for someone other than themselves.

I stand corrected!

It takes a lot of time, effort and money to become a doctor and the lawyers, insurance companies, medicare, medicaid and malpractice and maybe obamacare is making it not a cost effective profession.

Yes. And the amount that say they will retire early and the amount of students that say they will pursue a different career if Obama Care is not repealed is staggering.

The incentive just isn't there when you can get sued and in debt for the rest of your life and beyond the grave. Also, who can afford malpractice insurance?

Yes, more and more RNs are doing what doctors do nowadays.

Some reports? Seriously? LOL America will run out of Doctor? Again... lol! So unlikely! Thankfully there are still plenty of people who care more about making a difference -- than there are about making a buck!

You better wake up DemoRAT

Too much cost too little return and getting worse. They have gone from the Hippocratic oath to bowing down to Fort Knox.

Obamacare has a number of provisions that are reportedly hostile to the medical profession, such as the insistence on paying specialists with more training the same remuneration as other docs. That removes a big incentive for students to specialize in some fields.

Its only going to get worse-----

I think you are going to see less and less people that will want to be doctors after Obamacare and those in government wanting to socialize our medicine here in the US.

Smart people (who would otherwise succeed at becoming good doctors) are not going to want to work at a job where there will be paid what the government tell them they will be paid---- they are going to want to be paid what they are WORTH--and will seek employment elsewhere-- in a private, non-socialized industry... this is the same reason that health care has long lines and is sub par in our northern neighbor---many good doctors came here.

This will lead to lessening of standards on doctors here in the us--- less years of school etc...not as high of grades...eventually all we will be left with is hacks with our "socialized medicine"

Malpractice insurance is too expensive.Ambulance chasing lawyers are encouraging lawsuits so often that doctors can't do a routine diagnosis anymore. They have to order every test available to ensure that they have covered every possibility to avoid a lawsuit. All this is driving up the cost of health care and by extension health insurance. Young men and women don't want to pursue medicine because of the high cost of education and the eventual risks involved. So yes there is and will continue to be a shortage of doctors in the USA. "First kill all the lawyers."

Just wait till they can't make more than a $150k a year, while the minority government drones that tell them how to do their job are making $250k and see just how many find something else do do.

"minority government drones"........ You mad that people who are not white get a pay check?
Racist much?

He means that there is a much smaller number of "Govt. drones" than doctors, not that they are any particular ethnicity. Sensitive much? Mentally deficient significantly? That would be an acceptable excuse for that post.

A shortage of big pharma pill pushers? It's a crisis for sure.

Yes because of Obamacare many doctors are retiring earlier than expected. Also many college students are changing to majors to non medical subjects.

Only in Faux's dreams.

Bull, It has nothing to any news channel. I'm a freelance anaylst consultant. In 2010, 5 of my clients hired me to study and report on the Obamacare legislation. The source of information is ME not some news organiztion. In 45 years this is the worst legislation I ever saw. This program is even worse than what is being told by the MSM. Doctors are retiring and not being replaced. Besides studing the legislation, I interviewed, doctors as well as college administrators and students. In large part the $500,000 cut in Medicare funding is cutting health care providers compensation. progressively for 10 years. It has already started. Doctors and other health care providers are getting less in 2012 than they were in 2010. The real big cuts come in 2013 and 2014. You can't blame anyone to put in time and expense of 9 years of schooling and internship to make $15 an hour. The new and/or increased taxes are alarming and the law still doesn't get out of red ink. Anyone who doesn't believe this is a big step backwards in health care is in for a rude awakening. This horrorable law doesn't fully kick in until 3018 and we are in for a bumpy ride..

Maybe that is good to many became a Dr. for the big paychecks,fancy houses & cars any way,take that away & what you have you can trust.

I can't blame them after 9 years not wanting to work for peanuts. One of my doctors works 6 days a week and makes less than $250,000. That's not a great deal to me.

And Obama care will really put the squeeze on in addition to squeezing their salaries, which will encourage a further decline. We will become like Canada with the good doctors going where the money is, and waiting times for visits and operations going through the roof.It won't be uncommon for a person to wait upwards to a year for an operation. As long as the poor and the people who don't want to work are taken care of, that's all that matters I guess.But whatever happened to nature's law, survival of the fittest.

That is Obama care "survival of the fittest " if you are weak or not able to add to sociality,you will get nothing.

Not really, but there has long been a shortage of good quality physicians
(ditto nurse practioners),
and there already is a real shortage of medical personnel for the "front lines".

There are excessive and wastefully large amounts of money to be made in non-primary specialties and sub-specialties. Put that together with the appallingly low compensation for front line medical personnel [low in relation to the combination of intelligence, skill, commitment, and training time it takes to be any good, or even sub-par] and no wonder too low a percentage of US-trained physicians choose to be in so-called "primary care" specialties! Of course, it's probably safer not to mention on this site the type of actions that would be needed to create a better balance in compensation =)
As it is at present, a lot of the supply of physicians is filled by immigrants (foreign-trained docs) or US FMGs, and the marketplace will likely make that process grow (along with shipping more medical industrial activity across borders, which new technologies will facilitate.

What do you think will happen when Doctors are told that they can only make a certain amount of money?

What if the government told YOU that you make too much money and will receive a big cut in pay?

If anyone can kill business, and the economy, it is the leftwing Democrat Party.

It's not surprising. Why would anyone choose the medical profession knowing that they will be dealing with tort lawyers and government regulation writers for their entire professional careers. Tort lawyers and regulation writers, the parisites of American society.

Bud

We had a local doc who regularly got drunk before surgery. He severed the spinal cords of a couple of his back patients. I suppose it was their tough luck for picking him as their doctor. Foolish silly people. So you think this Doc should NOT have to pay. What if it was YOUR twenty year old son who got maimed. "Free country" and all that. Niiiiiice.

Does that incident justify what tort lawyers are doing to our health care providers? Not to mention the costs passed on to patients. There will always be tragedies and I'm sorry about that but I stand by my opinion.

Bud

That is not an uncommon thing ,doesl the money bring back your child?We need to pay more attention to the drs we go to,do you get your barber or beautian out of the phone book?Common sense is something we seem to have lost.

So a negligent Doctor does not have to take any responsibility?

With student loans at 8% interest, it's cheaper to get a home equity loan. Who really what's a bulleyes on their backs for lawsuits with that kind of interest.

Takes years to become one, is very expensive and now it seems that it is easier to be a PA. Some of them are good, lots of them are in need of more training.

Well, according to this report..we are. Why ask this question if the answer is already available? Silly SodaJerks.