Ever tried to make a specialist doctor’s appointment and found a six-month waiting list?
Ever rush to have a prescription filled and found that the pharmacy only has one pharmacist and he or she’s out to lunch?
As frustrating as these problems are to us—the patients—they’re just as frustrating for an often-forgotten part of our healthcare system: the workers. The very people that make everything happen.
When it comes down to it, the US medical workforce does matter, in a big way. Whether your spouse is a hardworking nurse or you rely on a doctor to help you fight being sick, the people that run all our healthcare facilities are the life force behind what’s keeping many Americans alive today.
What’s more, health care spending is expected to reach one-fifth of the U.S. GDP by 2021. In other words, less than ten years from now, 20% of the goods and services produced by our economy will be related to keeping Americans healthy.
With all this new money being pumped in, you might think that healthcare should be easier to get. But that’s not what’s happening. Things are getting scarcer.
And here are 4 reasons why.
Event #1
Well-known Event: Affordable Care Act expands coverage.
Reaction: Doctors scramble to handle the flood of new appointments.
Many argue that the new healthcare law helps millions get healthier, from the child who can no longer be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition to free preventive care services available through private insurers.
But, expanded coverage also means more people will need access to doctor appointments, prescriptions, and procedures.
Expanded healthcare is great for those in need, but someone has to be there to cover your health, when you need it.
Event #2
Well-known Event: America’s baby boomers retire.
Reaction: Old-age ailments put pressure on the system.
Our country is aging to the tune of about 10,000 new 65-year-olds every single day.
Considering that those over 65 use medical services more than twice as often as younger people, it’s easy to see how that shift will further strain the health care system as well as the people who make it work.
Event #3
Well-known Event: Health professional baby boomers start to retire.
Reaction: Less health professionals around to help people.
Not even doctors are immune to the March of Time. While entrance into the medical profession has remained steady, the number of doctors retiring is expected to jump substantially over the next two decades.
What’s more, the generation about to retire frequently worked 70- or 80-hour weeks, including weekends, nights, and holidays. Newer doctors may be less willing to sacrifice their personal lives by working superhuman hours.
Event #4
Well-known Event: Medicaid payments cut.
Reaction: Doctors get paid less, so they adjust their business models.
Medicaid is the state-administered insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans. States have started to reduce the amounts they pay to doctors for serving these in-need patients.
As a result, some doctors are forced to move out-of-state or cut services so they can keep their practices open.
What will this all mean?
One potential outcome is a shortage of qualified professionals.
The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that by 2015 the U.S. will be nearly 70,000 doctors short of what’s needed to care for everyone. What’s more, it’s estimated that within two years, America will need an additional 72,000 physical therapists, 40,000 physician assistants, and 57,000 respiratory therapists.
Medical error may increase as well. One recent study found that for each extra patient added to a nurse’s normal workload the rate of hospital-acquired infections went up. Nurses are people too, and when they get over-stressed and overworked, mistakes happen.
Have you been frustrated by medical care access? Or do you know someone who is?
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A little understanding can go a long way in helping fix this huge problem on the horizon.
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