Do you think that with the new health care bill(s) that they are trying to get passed, there will be a need for more doctors?
I believe there will be a shortage in Family Practice (FP) area if it does get passed. There will be more people going to the doctors that they could not once afford. I can see some of the current and future doctors wanting to get into other specialties, especially elective.
With that said, do you think that FP’s will still retain their current salaries?
I just hope this will open up more opportunities for us future doctors. Thoughts?
Thomas
Yes – I expect the demand in primary care will continue to exceed supply for sometime. If for no other reason than competition slaries will at least remain stable if not increase.
Massachusetts, where mandatory insurance has been in place for a while, is facing severe shortages for primary care.
With a general reluctance for medical students to do primary care in favor of specialties… I expect the trend to continue…
I tend to think that midlevel providers (PAs and NPs) have most to benefit from any health care reform. Because a majority of primary care needs can be met with midlevel providers, midlevel providers appeal to both sides of the current health care debate: For conservatives, it’s the cost. Midlevel providers are cheaper and faster to train and cost less than primary care physicians. For liberals, it’s accessibility. Midlevel providers’ lower cost allow more midlevel providers to be employed to reach more patients for a given amount than would be possible employing only primary care physicians. The recent, rapid explosion of midlevel provider training programs in comparison to recent medical school openings may be indicative of this appeal.
In Indiana there is already a shortage of family practice. I’ve discovered the state has a scholarship program that will pay for med school provided you set up shop somewhere that they’ve identified as a critical area.
From my own research, many doctors are going after specialties because the pay better and they have the ability to become experts in their area.
Personally, family medicine is my goal because I like to help people and this would be the “front line.” I also think I’d become bored in a speciality seeing the same types of patients every day.