President Obama routinely tells us that under his (undefined) plan, if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. He doesn’t mention what will happen if up to 45% of physicians in America decide to go Galt.
Two of every three practicing physicians oppose the medical overhaul plan under consideration in Washington, and hundreds of thousands would think about shutting down their practices or retiring early if it were adopted, a new IBD/TIPP Poll has found.
The poll contradicts the claims of not only the White House, but also doctors’ own lobby — the powerful American Medical Association — both of which suggest the medical profession is behind the proposed overhaul.
It also calls into question whether an overhaul is even doable; 72% of the doctors polled disagree with the administration’s claim that the government can cover 47 million more people with better-quality care at lower cost.
We already have a bit of a physician shortage here in the US. Once the government slashes payments to physicians, while expanding coverage to millions the system will be overloaded. How can anyone blame them for quitting?
