Physician Shortage Epidemic

The United States is facing a crisis that is invisible to most people; however you can be certain that every physician is very aware.  We are on the verge of experiencing a serious shortage of practicing physicians.  In some rural regions of the U. S., there has long been a shortage of local doctors, but we will soon experience this painful deficiency in most regions of this great county.  This is a scary issue to deal with and there are numerous factors involved.

The enormous baby-boomer generation (those born between 1946 - 1964) actually creates a two-fold issue.  As this generation ages, over a hundred-thousand maturing doctors are expected to retire over the next several years.  Additionally, as baby-boomers turn 65 years of age, they qualify for Medicare, which occurs at a staggering rate of between 8,000 – 10,000 individuals each and every day.

Another influencing factor is the Obama Care Health Care Reform.  By 2014 some thirty million additional Americans will be covered by health insurance.  Although many consider this to be a good thing, it creates a serious problem for medical doctors.  Locating a physician who is taking new patients could become very difficult at that time.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has estimated that the country will have more than 62,000 fewer doctors than are needed by 2015, and that number will double by 2025.  This shortfall is predicted in spite of a push by teaching hospitals and medical schools to boost the number of U.S. physicians.  The AAMC has increased its lobbying effort with Congress to end the freeze on Medicare funding for residency training.  Unknown to many, this freeze has been in effect since 1997 and the results are becoming a serious concern.  The AAMC says that even a modest 15% increase in funding would help prepare 4,000 additional doctors each year.

A shortfall of physicians is not the only issue at hand.  Physician compensation is another issue.  Although more students are applying for medical school, the number of Primary Health Care physicians has fallen dramatically.  This is largely due to the fact that family practitioners average salary is approximately half that of specialists.  Additionally, the insurance reimbursement cuts are making it harder to physicians to earn what they did only a few years ago.

With most people in the U.S. today still able to get a doctor’s appointment in a timely manner, Americans tend to be complacent about this issue. The shortage of doctors is already a crisis. If we fail to act now, only the wealthy will be able to see a doctor before their illness or injury becomes life threatening, and many won’t see one even then.  Without proper care, many will die from diseases and illnesses that are easily treatable. We need more measures in place to ensure that qualified students who are interested in the medical profession have a spot available in our medical schools, and will also have a spot for residency training.  It is important that we stay aware of what is happening in the medical profession, and what the powers-that-be will do to forestall this doctor shortage.

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