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Baby Boomers face doctor shortage
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With doctors retiring and Baby Boomers aging, an acute shortage of physicians is predicated.
Regardless of what happens with health care reform, one thing is certain: Baby Boomers will flood the health care system.
A consequence of the coming tsunami is the expected lack of enough physicians to deal with the sheer number of Baby Boomer patients and the myriad health concerns they'll bring along as they age.
There are two forces at work, according to a report from the American Association of Medical Colleges: Baby Boomers are aging, and so are the doctors.
"Between 1980 and 2005, the nation’s population grew by 70 million people—a 31 percent increase. As baby boomers age, the number of Americans over age 65 will grow as well. By 2030, the number of baby boomers will double from 35 million to 71 million," said the AAMC report entitled "Held Wanted: More U.S. Doctors".
"Yet, since 1980, the number of first-year enrollees in U.S. medical schools per 100,000 population has declined annually. Consequently, America is producing fewer and
fewer doctors each year relative to our continually growing population."
The AAMC said an acute shortage of physicians would mean longer waits for appointments and the need to travel farther to see a doctor.
Since it can take up to 14 years from the time new doctors begin their education until they enter practice, the AAMC is recommending action now.
It is calling for a 30 percent increase in U.S. medical school enrollment by 2015 and with that is calling for an increase in the number of federally supported residency
training positions in the nation’s teaching hospitals.
The association notes that there are 744,000 doctors currently practice medicine in the United States. But 250,000 -- one in three of these doctors -- are over age 55 and are likely to retire during the next 20 years, just when the baby boom generation begins to turn 70.
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