Us Healthcare Reform
US Healthcare Reform and the Impact on Primary Care Physicians
Laura Garcia
ENG 122 English Composition II
Dr. Paula Porter
June 28, 2010
The new healthcare reform act recently passed will be fully implemented by 2014. Every person living legally in the United States will be guaranteed, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (PPACA), healthcare insurance. Across the United States, primary care doctors are already preparing for the full impact this will have on their practices. In keeping with the promise made by President Obama, physicians are already planning to increase their hours while trying to maintain patient care.
With this new legislation, there will inevitably be growing pains, for the providers, the patients, and most all for the insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that over 16 million additional adults will be eligible for health care coverage with the new Healthcare Reform Act. That is a substantial increase in patients needing to find a Primary Care Physician ((PCP) ). Shawn Martin, director of government relations for the American Osteopathic Association, says, "We were really pleased with the emphasis put on primary care and the continuous and comprehensive relationship with the primary care provider." The reforms will strain the nation 's primary care delivery system, he adds, but "there are ways of dealing with that." (Bendix, J. 2010, May)
Providers that are considered critics of the new reform bill, PPACA, say that while there may be ways of dealing with the growing demand on the way they deliver healthcare that does not mean that it will be inexpensive. The growing fear for the average Primary Care Physician is that while the government is busy regulating how they treat their patients: what diagnostic tools they will be entitled to use, which tests they will be allowed to order, and what medications should be prescribed, the
Laura Garcia
ENG 122 English Composition II
Dr. Paula Porter
June 28, 2010
The new healthcare reform act recently passed will be fully implemented by 2014. Every person living legally in the United States will be guaranteed, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (PPACA), healthcare insurance. Across the United States, primary care doctors are already preparing for the full impact this will have on their practices. In keeping with the promise made by President Obama, physicians are already planning to increase their hours while trying to maintain patient care.
With this new legislation, there will inevitably be growing pains, for the providers, the patients, and most all for the insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that over 16 million additional adults will be eligible for health care coverage with the new Healthcare Reform Act. That is a substantial increase in patients needing to find a Primary Care Physician ((PCP) ). Shawn Martin, director of government relations for the American Osteopathic Association, says, "We were really pleased with the emphasis put on primary care and the continuous and comprehensive relationship with the primary care provider." The reforms will strain the nation 's primary care delivery system, he adds, but "there are ways of dealing with that." (Bendix, J. 2010, May)
Providers that are considered critics of the new reform bill, PPACA, say that while there may be ways of dealing with the growing demand on the way they deliver healthcare that does not mean that it will be inexpensive. The growing fear for the average Primary Care Physician is that while the government is busy regulating how they treat their patients: what diagnostic tools they will be entitled to use, which tests they will be allowed to order, and what medications should be prescribed, the
References: Bendix, J.. (2010, May). HEALTHCARE REFORM. Medical Economics, 87(10), 18-19,23-24,26. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2049911011). Goodroe, J.. (2010, June). using comparative data to improve healthcare value. Healthcare Financial Management, 64(6), 63-6. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2055971321). Medicare and Medicaid; Few health reform options would have covered more people at lower cost than new law, study finds. (2010, June). NewsRx Health,5. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2060250511). Robeznieks, A.. (2010, June). Reform repercussions. Modern Healthcare, 40(25), 16. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2068907841). Thorpe, K., & Ogden, L.. (2010). The Foundation That Health Reform Lays For Improved Payment, Care Coordination, And Prevention. Health Affairs, 29(6), 1183-1187. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2061803941).