Health Care Professionals Group

Do doctors and health care professionals want health care reform?

A pretty complex question, but an important one. If doctors don't want it, then many people will be less likely to go to Medical School, leaving us with a society of 31 million more insured people and a lack of health care professionals (MDs, PAs, NPs). If health care professionals want it, then the desire to be a MD, PA or NP will boom.

Public Comments

1. Heres the thing, some doctors believe that it will hurt their income while other doctors believe that if everyone has insurance, then EVERYONE will pay, instead of health insurance companies asking for refund after refund, therefore will help a doctors income. Also, it has a lot to do with their political background, there is no single doctors union for or against health care reform
2. Most all of the professionals that I know don't want this for it means that there will be rationing not only of care but of the ability to earn a living. People forget that health-care professionals will be put on salaries or have their payment schedules determined by the government. There is no way that this is going to work. First and foremost there is no constitutional mandate for this as there is nothing in the constitution about health-care. We are going to wind up with more people covered and less medical professionals!
3. IF I try to be objective and look at the scenario from afar, I should be able to see that this SHOULD be good for society. The sick will be taken care of. The society does not leave its sick, helpless and elderly along the side of the road to die because they can't afford to earn a living anymore, enough to keep a health insurance to pay for their health care needs. A healthy society is a happy society. That is such a no-brainer. I am a nurse and I am not doing this essentially for the money. We own a few rental properties, and often play with the stock market. They are very profitable, and have enabled me to live a good life. My desire to help people and be a health care professional has nothing to do with the potential salary. To be honest, I worked minimum pay jobs and was able to pay for a decent lifestyle that was separate from the life I had growing up. I loved my life. The only reason I see this as a hindrance for others, is the fact that their luxuries and everything they've been so used to will be taken away from them. A drop from a 100k/year salary down to 50k to 20k/year due to any health care reform constitutes stealing their livelihood. They have been spoiled with the income, and it would be cruel to come and take it away from them. How can it be fair to those who had to pay thousands of dollars and invested so much in their profession knowing they were going to earn great financial rewards and then have that robbed from them? Change is hard, but often crucial. If we all stop being selfish and look at the bigger picture -- making sacrifices that benefits the community as a whole and not just our own selfish needs -- this doesn't need any explanation. It will hurt, but it will be worth it. Be a doctor because of your desire to help people, not because you want lots of money.