Nearly Half of Primary Care Physicians Feel Passage of Health Care Reform will Make Them Want to Leave Medicine

This was mentioned in the opening of Bill O'Reilly's show last night.   A recent New England Journal of Medicine survey found some startling opinions among physicians about the current health care reform:

• 62.7% of physicians feel that health reform is needed but should be implemented in a more targeted, gradual way, as opposed to the sweeping overhaul that is in legislation.
• 46.3% of primary care physicians (family medicine and internal medicine) feel that the passing of health reform will either force them out of medicine or make them want to leave medicine.
• 72% of physicians feel that a public option would have a negative impact on physician supply, with 45% feeling it will “decline or worsen dramatically” and 27% predicting it will “decline or worsen somewhat.

A solid majority of physicians support an incremental targeted approach  to health care reform.  Republicans in Congress have been saying for nearly a year such an approach could achieve wide bipartisan support.  Nevertheless, Democrats are insistent on passage of a sweeping partisan legislation that they will not have courage enough to support in a straight vote on the record.

That nearly half of primary care physicians feel the reform will force them out of medicine should not surprise us.  Granting greater control to the government over health care will leave them underpaid and overworked.  Who exactly will be caring for those millions forced to purchase health insurance?

Ed Morrissey notes the poll focused extensively on the public option despite the measure having been killed in the Senate in December.  Though the polling of the public option seems rather wasted, I think it reflects a measure of distrust among physicians that this Congress will leave that issue alone.  President Obama continues to give winks and nods to his progressive friends that this is just the beginning.  Pelosi announced in recent days, "once we kick through this door, there’ll be more legislation to follow.”  Clearly, physicians are getting the message they will never be safe from the threat of these progressive policies as well they should.