Doctors are overextended and give Obamacare failing marks, according to the latest Physicians Foundation survey. The 2014 survey included responses from 20,000 physicians nationwide and concluded that:
…81 percent of physicians describe themselves as either over-extended or at full capacity, …Forty-four percent of physicians surveyed plan to take steps that would reduce patient access to their services, including cutting back on patients seen, retiring, working part-time, closing their practice to new patients or seeking non-clinical jobs, leading to the potential loss of tens of thousands of full-time-equivalents (FTEs). As the ranks of Medicare and Medicaid patients increase – in 2011, more than 75 million baby boomers began turning 65 and qualifying for Medicare – and millions of new patients are insured through the Affordable Care Act [ACA, also known as Obamacare], patient access to care could pose significant health delivery and policy challenges.
The survey also found that 46 percent of doctors give Obamacare a D or an F (p. 8). In fact, regardless of physicians’ ages, genders, or specialties:
The majority of physicians in all groups gave the ACA a C, D or F, while less than 31% of physicians in even the most positive groups [age 45 or under and female] gave the ACA an A or B. (p. 62)
Written comments provide additional insight into the view of many American physicians toward Obamacare.
“Health reform would be better served by removing many thousands of pages of laws and bureaucrats rather than adding many thousands of pages of laws and bureaucrats.”
“The last year I have watched many local FPs retire or change practices, increasing my work immensely. Add the paperwork of the ACA … I am at the point of joining them.”
“Allowing private insurance firms to offer plans across state lines would reduce the cost of health insurance.”
"Get government OUT of healthcare.”
“I’m a Canadian physician practicing in the United States. The politicians and policy makers need to understand that government involvement in healthcare never works.”
“Avoid single payer without a private alternative. And stop this silly talk about doing away with fee-for-service. It will only increase the movement of physicians becoming clock-watching salarymen.”
“Every other profession is paid per unit of productivity. Why are physicians being told fee-for-service is evil? If any given lawyer or plumber is better than another, they are allowed to charge a higher fee and no one thinks this is wrong. ”
“Allow the free market to reign. Minimize regulations, not add more! Allow interstate insurance products.”
“Repeal Obamacare.”
“Return to free market, reduce state and federal involvement.”