Dear Trolls:
Whether or not this is a good poll, it does point out one significant fact: we will lose doctors if this plan passes. The question is, how many doctors can we afford to lose while adding tens of millions of people to an already-overburdened system? 10%? 20%? Add to that the thousands of young people who will NOT go to medical school because it’s not worth it, and you have a crisis.
And no, nurse practitioners will not be able to take up the slack. They are wonderful with triage and primary care, but not trained in vital areas like surgery or cutting-edge chemotherapy. There are also not enough of them, and they, too, have to be able to afford crippling malpractice insurance costs. Figuring that in, many will stick with a 2-year degree instead of pursuing the masters level and practicums necessary to become an NP.
Try thinking about that — oh, sorry, thinking isn’t your cup of TEA. Well, just enjoy your end-of-life care in a few decades.
