Another Joy Of Obamacare: Primary Care Doctor Shortages

I'm sure that this is an unintended effect of the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that there would be primary care doctor shortages, right?
I guess so since this article suggests that in the United States there needs to be 40,000 new primary care doctors just to maybe ease a shortage of said doctors as the implementation of Obamacare becomes a reality.
A little lesson in logic before I move on.
Again, you can not expand the pool of people that will be insured, offer supposed quality care without enough PCP (bad acronym, I know) to take care of said newly insured people.
Logic and liberal left Democrats, does not exist.
I guess that people who go to medical school should probably not bother to go into speciality fields where they may actually make money. That is probably what the liberal left Democrats will do next to make sure that there is not a shortage of PCP.
The PCP is the one that we just used to call the family doctor. You know if you are old enough that sometimes back in the day, many would actually come to one's home. Thus the expression about doctors making house calls.
Those days are long gone.
But the PCP today is what they are called. It is who we all go to when we have a medical problem to have an assessment. The PCP will do what he or she can and often refer patients to specialists that will be able to better treat said patients for long-term medical problems.
But there are not enough of these PCPs and one reason is simple.
They do not get good reimbursement from insurance companies and will more than likely get even less under Obamacare.
The PCP in the linked story, Dr. Reed Wilson, points this out.
The average debt for a PCP once they attain the necessary loans and complete their studies is a staggering $170,000 before they see one patient.
Thus a student needs to make a decision before they walk into medical school. And that is what field will they study. And now more than ever they are going into speciality fields because that is where the money is. And where the money is will pay off the loans that they had to take out to go to medical school in the first place.
So what to do about the problem?
Well, leave it to the liberal left Dems to come up with a solution in  nurse practitioners being allowed a greater role in patient care.
That is the "solution" put forth by state senator Ed Hernandez, an optometrist.
As Dr. Wilson pointed out NPs are great for the basics. And I agree. Many nurses when it comes to the basics are very good. But for actually diagnosing patients the way that a PCP does, uh not so much.
To state Sen. Hernandez, don't address the real issue. And that is PCP shortages and or compensation, but throw out something that has a less paid, educated and trained person as a nurse practitioner to help, supposedly, ease doctor shortages.
If I went to Dr. Hernandez for eye care, would he let one of his assistants complete an eye exam and determine my eye-care needs?
I don't think so.
One aspect that the article did not address is that there is a growing amount of PCPs that are getting out of the insurance business and not accepting insurance patients. They are essentially seeing patients and only take cash for that. And a lot of people that can afford it are seeing these doctors. Is that a possibility as to why there are real doctor shortages in not just California but the United States as a whole?
So how much does a PCP make in comparison to specialists?
This link, while outdated by a year, illustrates that there is a serious divide.
Here is what the umbrella of PCPs made on average in 2012:

Pediatricians: $173,000 (up from $156,000 a year before)

Family medicine doctors: $175,000 (up from $158,000)

Internal medicine doctors: $185,000 (up from $165,000)

Oh, I know that sounds like a lot of money. But between repaying student loans and medical malpractice insurance and taxes, it is not all that much for someone fresh out of medical school. Remember this is an average and that a rookie PCP probably makes nowhere near this kind of money.
And specialists?
Here are what some specialists make in a year:

Dermatologists: $306,000

Plastic surgeons: $317,000

Urologists: $340,000

Radiologists: $349,000

Cardiologists: $357,000

Orthopedists: $405,000

So if I were thinking of becoming a doctor and looked at who makes what, I would more than likely consider a speciality over being a gatekeeper, which is what a PCP has become.
A PCP does a lot of work and really gets the shaft.
Yet they are the bulwark of the totally misnamed PPACA.
Dr. Wilson makes the obvious point that we will not attract good PCPs if there is not adequate compensation. And another fact that is truly disturbing is that only 30% of PCPs actually own their practice. In other words 70% of PCPs work for insurance companies and or medical groups.
And I let Dr. Wilson explain the obvious:

“I love taking care of patients. I’m in an area where I can take time with my patients. But how do you get the best and brightest if you don’t reward them?”

Yes, how do you do that? And how does Obamacare keep medical costs down while supposedly providing healthcare to all Americans?
It does not and it really counts on the PCP shortage to keep costs down.
And that is a scam if ever there was one.

October 1, 2013 The Date Of Infamy And The Begining Of Obamacare

October 1, 2013 is the big day for all the fans of socialized medicine, American style.
It it the day that Americans can begin the process of signing up for one of the programs in the exchanges that are supposed to insure all Americans one way or the other.
Remember the former speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-of course-Cal.) telling us that the bill, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, had to be passed so we can see whats in it?
Well, it has passed and the important milestone will begin on the a fateful Tuesday in October.
Of course this is if there is no funding for Obamacare.
But since it will happen more than likely, today my local fishwrap, the Pasadena Star-News, did a whole comprehensive section on the impact of this monstrosity will have and especially here in California.
In that special section is this chart that explains the four levels of the exchanges that will be offered to uninsured Californians.
Here is the chart:

OK, now we have a chart and it shows four "metals" plans ranging from the low-end Bronze to the high end Platinum.

Here is something neat about these plans.

All still make the insured pay out of pocket costs as high as 40%.

So lets take a peek at this chart I made

 

• Bronze plan covers 60% of costs and the insured has to pay 40% of expenses.
• Silver plan covers 70% of costs and the insured has to pay 30% of expenses.
• Gold plan covers 80% of costs and the insured has to pay 20% of expenses.
• Platinum plan covers 90% of costs and the insured has to pay 10% of expenses.
 

Well, I suppose that sounds pretty good. In fact, much of that is what we have had now under different insurance companies and plans.

Look at the first chart because it is important to see what kind of coverage and costs one can attain.

If you are one that ends up with the Bronze, you will have a $5,000 deductible for medical and prescription medicine. And Silver is a little better with a $2,000 deductible. And speaking of medicines, the price of medications will be, after meeting the $5,000 in the Bronze and $250 in the Silver, will be $50 or $75. Oh yeah, and if you are on the low-income scale, you will still have to pay possibly $2,100 or $175 a month. That is after government assistance and or subsidy.

Uh, this is supposed to be affordable health care, right? I mean its not supposed to be quality healthcare for the uninsured or low income, right?

Because quite honestly, it is not.

Note that a lot of large companies are changing many employees hours to part-time status and they will not have to offer any kind of healthcare coverage whatsoever.

So if one works at a retail establishment, their once full-time jobs are now part-time jobs, minus that money is somehow supposed to pay the monthly premiums under even the least amount of coverage?

How does that work?

Well one of the big business making the dump, Trader Joe's market is going to offer a one time assist of about $500 so that part-timers can transition into the government exchange. But after that year and said employee is still part-time and still working for TJ's?

Ever heard the acronyn SOL*?

That will be the case for many employees that will get hours cut and have to pay even after government assistance and or subsidies. And not all companies will be as generous as TJ's dumping their employees in government exchanges. Not all employees will get the kind of deal that TJ's is going to do to assist those part-timers into government exchanges.

The reality is that this whole scam is the bridge to the eventual goal of the statists.

Single-payer healthcare for all Americans**

And that, my friends, is going to fundamentally change everything about healthcare in the United States.

Not that this monstrosity will not do so.

Here is a huge problem that the advocates do not explain rationally.

In this article from the Star-News special section, what is being done is the biggest sales job to convince young people, 18 to 34 year-olds to sign up for one of the plans.

Hold the front door!

Under the dreaded PPACA, a young person can be covered under their parents health insurance. So if said persons 26 and under are already covered, why in the hell do they want to sign up for their own healthcare? They can live at home, take their time with college and maybe start working when they are 26. There is no incentive for them to do so. And thus more pressure falls on 27-34 year-olds to fund the whole scam to pay for the old people.

Get the point?

The whole balance is having the young and abled-bodied pay for the old and essentially everyone else. Yet the brain trust behind this abominable legislation set it up for failure by already taking a whole group of the young out of the picture.

It is what happens when government gets so involved in something that it knows not one damn thing about.

You can't ask group A to cover for group B when you take a large portion of group A out of the picture.

The most telling comment in all that I read in this special section today is the last linked article in which the gentleman in charge of selling Obamacare in California, Peter Lee, said this:

 

“If the Affordable Care Act doesn’t work in California, it won’t work in America.”

 

And it won't work in California. And it won't work in America.

 

*-SOL-S**t Out Of Luck

 

**Single-payer heatlth insurance- Socialized medicine.