Half of Primary Care Physicians Want to Quit: Blame Insurance Company Red Tape

Talk about job dissatisfaction:

A new survey of U.S. Primary Care doctors revealed nearly half of the respondents would get out of medicine within the next three years if they had an alternative. The Physician’s Foundation, which promotes better doctor-patient relationships, conducted the survey of 270,000 primary care doctors. Of the 12,000 respondents, 49% said they’d consider leaving medicine.

Why do they want to leave?

The Primary Care doctors felt overwhelmed with the red tape generated from insurance companies and red tape. They feel overworked with the burden of paperwork and insurance hassles. More than 90% of the physicians said they devote more time to non-clinical and unsatisfying paperwork in the last three years. Sixty-three percent said this caused them to spend less time with each patient. Seventy-six percent of the doctors said they are working at “full capacity” and are “overextended and overworked”.

But this is heresy! The private sector doesn't produce red tape! Only the government does!

In yet another survey, nearly one-half of primary care physicans plan on cutting back or quitting their jobs:

About half the respondents said they planned to reduce patient loads or stop practicing within the next three years. More than half said they wouldn't recommend that young people pursue careers in medicine.

These same responders claim there is s shortage of primary care physicans in the USA:

Throughout the country and across all specialties, more than three of four respondents said they believed there was a shortage of primary care doctors.

It's time to get over the free-market fantasy about health care. Private health care doesn't work well.

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