Will More Affordable Health Plans Mean Lower Quality Care?
May 2011
Massachusetts health insurance has long been seen as a positive example of an affordable health plan that can offer coverage to all state citizens. It has even been called a precursor to what President Obama's
health care bill will offer all citizens in the United States.
But recent polls have found that doctors aren't particularly fond of the program. Further evidence suggests that wait times have gone up for medical care in Massachusetts, and many physicians aren't accepting new patients at all.
The question is, is this phenomenon the result of the state-run,
affordable health plan made available in Massachusetts?
According to Forbes magazine, the answer is, probably not.
The poll conducted by the Massachusetts Medical Society did indeed find that many physicians aren't accepting new patients. The problem, however, isn't Massachusetts health insurance, so much as a lack of doctors to go around.
Primary care physicians, the front-line workhorses for the medical community, are already swamped with patients. Their shortage has come from fewer medical students opting for the longer hours and lower pay associated with primary care physicians.
Facts on:
Massachusetts Health Insurance
Did you know...
The wait time to see a primary care physician in Massachusetts is higher in rural areas.
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Specialists work less and get paid more, an option that sounds better to many medical school students.
It's certainly possible that Massachusetts' more affordable health plan contributed to this problem by offering more citizens access to health care. When everyone
can go to the doctor for proper care, it makes sense that most of them
will.
This means a higher workload for an already shrinking number of doctors.
Many legislators are watching to see how these problems will be resolved for the Massachusetts health insurance market. In order to make affordable care available to everyone, people will need more than good insurance, they'll need good doctors who will treat them in the first place.
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