Physicians Down on Health Care Reform

A recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found that physicians think health reform will do little to reduce costs.

The survey was sent to 16,500 physicians from the AMA’s Master File asking them to take the 30-minute online survey and provided an incentive. Three percent (500 physicians) completed the survey. The survey primarily focused on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how they think it will impact the practice of medicine.

In a nutshell:
1. Sixty percent of physicians gave the U.S. healthcare system an overall grade of “C” or “D.”
2. Regarding the ACA, physicians were divided. Forty-four percent said the law is “a good start,” while another 44% said “it’s a step in the wrong direction,” and 12% said they “weren’t sure.”
3. The top 5 factors driving up health care according to the physicians were: “unhealthy lifestyles” of patients, defensive medicine, insurance company costs, hospital costs, and prescription drug costs.
4. Physicians thought enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid would be up along with trips to the ER, because they thought there wouldn’t be enough primary care physicians to see all the new enrollees.

Unfortunately, with health reform on the horizon, physicians don’t have a rosy view of the new year –or years –to come.