Medicus survey finds doctors do not like this health care bill one bit

Mike Riggs Contributor
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A GOP talking point for the last year has been that many members of the medical community–mostly doctors, who receive the highest pay–don’t like what’s in the Democrats’ health-care plan. A poll featured on the jobs page of the New England Journal of Medicine seems to confirm as much:

Physician Support of Health Reform in General
62.7% of physicians feel that health reform is needed but should be implemented in a more targeted, gradual way, as opposed to the sweeping overhaul that is in legislation.
28.7% of physicians are in favor of a public option.
3.6% of physicians prefer the “status quo” and feel that the U.S. health care system is best “as is.
Health Reform and Primary Care Physicians
46.3% of primary care physicians (family medicine and internal medicine) feel that the passing of health reform will either force them out of medicine or make them want to leave medicine.
Health Reform, Public Option, and Practice Revenue/Physician Income
41% of physicians feel that income and practice revenue will “decline or worsen dramatically” with a public option.
30% feel income will “decline or worsen somewhat” with a public option.
9% feel income will “improve somewhat” with a public option, and 0.8% feel income will “improve dramatically” with a public option.
Health Reform, Public Option, and Physician Supply
72% of physicians feel that a public option would have a negative impact on physician supply, with 45%feeling it will “decline or worsen dramatically” and 27% predicting it will “decline or worsen somewhat.
24% of physicians think they will try to retire early if a public option is implemented.
21% of physicians would try to leave medicine if a public option is implemented, even if not near retirement age at the time.
Health Reform and Recommending Medicine to Others as a Career
36% of physicians would not recommend medicine as a career, regardless of health reform.
27% would recommend medicine as a career but not if health reform passes.
25% of physicians would recommend medicine as a career regardless of health reform.
12% would not recommend medicine as a career now but feel that they would recommend it as a career if health reform passes

Via Cato’s Chris Moody