Doctors fear patient rationing under Obama health care reform
On July 17, 2009, doctors will hold hundreds of events protesting Obama and the Democrats in Congress health care reform. Many do not want to practice medicine under the Obama administration and would leave the profession. This would create a a country without enough doctors to care for it population.
One of the doctors' concerns is that they will be forced to ration medicine to their patients. According to Dr. David McKalip, a Florida-based neurosurgeon and president of the Association of American Physician and Surgeons, there will be
an eventual mass exodus of doctors out of medicine if Congress passes a health care reform bill that contains a mandatory government insurance option....they will simply start migrating out of medicine.
Dr. McKalip believes that older doctors, in their 50's, will leave early. He said that:
What's coming is a government takeover of medicine....whenever government takes over medicine, they always ration care....They never deny there will be rationing.
He believes that
It is time to take back medicine for the patients.