US Doctor Shortage Is Getting Scary

And ObamaCare can't reverse the trend
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 29, 2012 3:00 PM CDT
America's Doctor Shortage Is Getting Scary
Americans are likely to spend more time waiting for overworked doctors.   (Shutterstock)

Struggling to find a good primary care doctor these days? You're not alone. Seems the US has far too few of them, and ObamaCare won't really plug the gap, the New York Times reports. Even with President Obama's health care plan, America will have 100,000 fewer doctors than needed by 2025. Among the reasons why: Medical students are chasing big bucks as specialists, and Baby Boomers are getting old and demanding more health care.

Economically depressed areas are taking it especially hard, like Detroit, the Mississippi Delta, and Southern California's Inland Empire. ObamaCare's expansion of Medicaid—which states can opt out of—will help by paying for more primary care doctors, but hurt by overloading current doctors with more patients. Overall, Obama's new plan is expected to give the country 3,000 new doctors over the next 10 years when it really needs about 45,000. (More doctors stories.)

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