Question

The U.S. healthcare system is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians. Discuss at least one non-economic impact and two economic impacts that this shortage creates. Suggest at least one solution to this problem and provide a specific example.

Answer 1

US healthcare system is not very successful system in the US nation. This system is owned by 58% non-profit institution. Remaining share is owned by Government as well as private sector units. It is obviously proved that the only nation which does not have global health care system in its circle of health care potential action. Though federal government spends 64% of its portion of income to the health care issues prevailing in the country, the percentage of professional primary care physicians serving the patients was very less. Let us discuss such non-economic as well as economic impacts the shortage of primary physicians.

About one-fifth of the population are living in the rural areas of the all US states. But very less amount of Primary Care Physicians (PCP) are serving the people in such areas. So the reason of high death in such rural areas increases gradually with the need of PCP in all remote areas. So the empirical studies reveals the facts that the 77% of Health shortage areas are identified in the rural areas and also need of nearly 4000 PCP are required in order to undergo medical treatment in the rural areas. This fact was considered as the non-economic impact on shortages of PCP.

Only 29% of PCP are available for every 1000 patients in every area. This is due to the following economic factors. They are

1) After completing the medical graduation, the primary care doctors are paid one half of the specialists. Hospitals are ready to pay huge compensation than the PCP. This was the reason of drop in admission of less PCP course in Medical college in US.

2) Lack of funds to train the PCP in the training period, leads to the less skill full qualified Primary health care doctors. They are not given full stipend in period of studies. Some medical students who have chosen the Primary health care course are in the situation of paying the medical loan advance. Less stipend amount and the less pay restricts the increase in the admission of PCP in the US urban as well in rural areas.

Solution:-       

The US nation takes several initiatives in allocating the funds for the promoting the service of the PCP. But additionally, if the US government increases the Primary Health Care Center in the rural areas by appointing additional PCP with sufficient pay can solve the problem of ratio of giving the treatment for all the rural areas. If the federal government reduces the interest rate for the medical educational loan and to allocate funds to provide extensive training in the Primary Health Care Centers will attract more students to take career as the Primary Health Care Physicians in the long-run. Affordable Care Act (ACA) has some provision to solve the problem of shortage of PCP in the rural areas. The funds as well as the medical seats are increased in all medical colleges through the ACA.