Obamacare will boost health coverage to the more than 48 million Americans currently without, opening the floodgates to medical facilities. With a shortage of doctors, where will all these people go? And so the problem ensues.
With Obamacare, companies are forbidden to refuse people because of any pre-existing conditions, but with new ACA regulations, every American will have to have some form of health insurance or incur fines. For those without insurance Obamacare provides health insurance marketplaces, which aids individuals in finding a coverage plan. Despite any good intentions to nationalize healthcare, the value of Obamacare still remains a hot and heavy debate. Will it cause more good than harm? Who’s to say, but it certainly poses a direct threat to medical facilities now overbooked and under staffed.
Direct Threat to Medical Facilities
Getting an appointment to see a doctor is already a headache, imagine now what it will be like with an increase in demand. According to a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), America can expect a shortage of more than 91,500 physicians by 2020 – this number includes primary care and medical specialties such as general surgery, neurosurgery and cardiology. Due to a significant decline among general physicians in particular, patients can’t get an appointment and so they turn to the emergency rooms. Eventually medical facilities across the board will become overloaded in abundance of patients and that’s where the problem lies.
More primary care doctors are needed now more than ever mainly because the United States is experiencing significant population growth but there is also a decline in interest among graduates. In order to perform medicine, physicians must complete a residency of at least five years after they obtain their medical degree. You can imagine the accumulated debt one might have. Specialists make significantly more money than a Primary Care Physician, and so many people can’t afford to take that path.
What does this mean moving forward?
It’s obvious some type of action needs to be put in place, but what? Currently the ACA tries its hand at alleviating some of the problem, allotting $1.5 billion in additional funding for the National Health Services Corps, which supports health care providers in exchange for their service in areas of high shortage. The law also offers more scholarships and training programs to encourage growth in the primary care workforce. Optimists are hopeful that this problem is enough to prompt action against these issues.
The Paycom Solution
Unfortunately there is no immediate fix to the problem; however there are simple solutions that can help alleviate some of the strain. Investing in single cloud solution technology for your human capital management needs is a step in the right direction. With Paycom’s Report Writing and Advanced Scheduling capabilities, you can easily filter reports, seamlessly share across divisions, meet staffing needs and control labor costs while also improving service quality. With our single application you can focus more on your patients, eliminating the hassle of paperwork and streamlining the whole process, making you more efficient where it counts.