How Will Health Reform Legislation Affect U.s. Health Care?

The main premise of President Barack Obama's health care reform bill was that it

would be a form of nationalized health care, a type of insurance program that would be funded by the taxpayers of the country, and overseen by Washington. The idea was that everyone would be able to get the care they need, no matter what.

While these ideas that were to be part of a healthcare reform bill are meant with the best of intentions, both sides of the aisle agree that the plan is quite flawed. In fact, what was supposed to provide affordable care for all, may actually cause more problems for all.

The main flaw in the plan is that it further exacerbates the problems with Medicare and takes an even greater amount of money away from the lowest paid primary care physicians, which creates a major problem of doctors going to where the money is and not into fields where medical professionals are truly needed.

Another issue with the new health care plan is the "public option". Much like with Medicare, this option will control overall spending by controlling the prices doctors can charge for care. While this public option is designed to help the uninsured, employers find it cheaper to simply discontinue coverage and allow workers to get this government plan. In fact, it is estimated that over 130 million people will join this type of plan if it becomes available for everyone.

As soon as a majority of patients choose a government plan, doctor's will be faced with their personal incomes dropping anywhere from fifteen percent to as much as twenty percent depending on their type of practice.

Since the majority of doctors today, roughly sixty percent, are self-employed, these doctors will be the first to feel the negative effects of the health care reform bill. These doctors are often specialists such as surgeons, dermatologists; however many are primary care physicians that patients visit every day.

The result will be that these doctors will close their private practices and create larger practices with other professionals in an effort to quell some of the overhead expenses. This will then mean that visits will be shorter, and more patients will be packed into tighter schedules.

Whether you agree with it or not, many doctors will end up simply not accepting new patients, especially those who take part in government insurance plans. Many doctors may completely opt out of insurance programs and only accept cash payments. This could lead to further regulation of the health care industry, and government may set up laws to force doctors to accept all forms of insurance. If these issues are not addressed properly, there is great potential for a major disruption in health care.

by: Dominic Lin

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