Terry Savage: In ObamaCare era, will there be enough doctors?

There is already a doctor shortage in this country, and ObamaCare will make matters worse. And in trial lawyer-friendly states such as Illinois, the problem will be more acute.

Of course the Democrats' health care bill did not address tort reform.

Chicago Sun-Times financial reporter Terry Savage takes a look at ObamaCare, and although she performs some verbal gymnastics when addressing health care rationing, it appears she believes it's coming.

Dr. Russell Robertson is chair of Family and Community Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He has advised Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to physician supply and distribution. And he is working on a program to expand training of physicians and assistants in family medicine.

Dr. Robertson is very concerned about who will care for the influx of new patients who now will have insurance coverage: "We now have only four years to make sure that we have enough health-care providers to actually deliver on that promise as at the present, we are in short supply. . . . This is a special challenge in Illinois as we do not yet know the effect on physician supply after the state Supreme Court's lifting of the medical malpractice caps."

After the applause stops, the reality will set in. It's not the cost; it's the access. We aren't rationing health care. But we're surely going to be rationing access to physicians and medical services unless we create some incentives to increase the supply of healthcare providers. And that's The Savage Truth.

Health care coverage and health care access are not the same thing. Wake up, ObamaCare supporters.

Related posts:

Trial lawyers to Obama: No tort reform

Illinois Supreme Court strikes down malpractice caps

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