Addressing Physician Shortage in the Era of the Affordable Care Act

摘要

With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) passing into law and taking effect in January 2014, many new challenges will be encountered. One of the major challenges will be a shortage of qualified health care professionals, especially physicians, to treat the increased influx of newly insured patients seeking regular and preventive care. This physician shortage will place a burden on our already fragile health care system. How will the US educational institutions prepare more health care providers to deal with this problem? How will the government compensate health care providers who will be treating more patients as a result of the Medicare and Medic-aid expansion? And how will practicing physicians deal with this surplus?