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In reply to the discussion: Why America's Doctor Shortage Might Mean Trouble for Obamacare [View all]Barack_America
(28,876 posts)16. That is correct. Medicare pays for, and regulates, residency spots.
Personally, I think we need to get back to the old General practioner model, where a full residency was not required to see patients with basic complaints in an outpatient setting. In most states a full residency is not required for licensure, but malpractice insurance is impossible unless you're board-certified.
20-30% of residents will dropout of their residency programs because the lifestyle is so brutal. Currently, there is no way for these individuals to contribute to medicine, not even to function at the level of a PA or NP. You want a quick fix to the primary care practioner glut, find a way to extend malpractice insurance to non-board-certified MDs not enrolled in a residency program.
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I'm going to go on the assumption you don't live among the people I've described.
Shandris
Jan 2014
#8
As those of us that actually pay attention to what is actually happening already know,
Egalitarian Thug
Jan 2014
#7
Not to mention a lot of med students don't want to be Primary Care Physicians.
TheMightyFavog
Jan 2014
#38
I agree with you that use of EDs is something a lot of previously uninsured knew and therefore
CTyankee
Jan 2014
#29
Do we actually have a doctor shortage or is this like "America's STEM shortage"?
winter is coming
Jan 2014
#28
There's not a "doctor shortage", there's an entirely deliberate medical school bottleneck
Recursion
Jan 2014
#37