ACA: Primary Care

[PathoTurnUp1865]

One of the things the Affordable Care Act was suppose to accomplish was to increase the primary care force. It was/is suppose to carry this out by increasing medicare/medicaid reimbursement rates as well as loan repayment systems. I've found articles that show this increase in primary care salaries ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceja...000-as-value-based-model-boosts-primary-care/ ), not sure how true/credible that is. However, I haven't found many articles that show if rates of primary care doctors have increased since the ACA was passed? Also to what extent has healthcare tried to fill this gap with NPs/PAs?

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[IslandStyle808]

Its primary goal was to increase the amount of people on insurance. It really hasn't done anything substantial beyond that.

 

[username456789]

Its primary goal was to increase the amount of people on insurance. It really hasn't done anything substantial beyond that.

And its secondary goal was never to actually provide those people with good quality insurance (which it has not).

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-bonuses-will-cut-pay-to-primary-care-doctors

Relevant NPR article a couple days ago about the medicare pay boost that is due to end soon. In 2012 170,00 PCPs received an average medical bonus of $3,938.

According to the article it seems though that the majority of PCPs did not use or were unaware of the bonus reimbursement.

"Only a quarter of those surveyed said they received a bonus payment; half didn't know the program existed.

Of physicians who were aware of and received Medicare bonus payments, 37 percent said it made a small difference in their ability to serve their Medicare patients, and 5 percent said it made a big difference. However, nearly half—48 percent—said it made no difference at all."

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-bonuses-will-cut-pay-to-primary-care-doctors"

Thanks for the article.

 

[allantois]

And its secondary goal was never to actually provide those people with good quality insurance (which it has not).

I got a great plan through ACA exchange this year with no deductible, $2000 maximum, low copays (cost me $40 dollars per accutane prescription - with no prior authorization required; main reason I went looking for a new insurance), and also a PPO network. So much better than what I had through school the year prior. And not to mention the people who answer calls for the program are so much nicer than sales people at insurance companies.

Either way, even bad coverage is better than no coverage.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Either way, even bad coverage is better than no coverage.

I have a large number of voluntarily uninsured patients who disagree with you.

 

[The Kraken]

One of the things the Affordable Care Act was suppose to accomplish was to increase the primary care force. It was/is suppose to carry this out by increasing medicare/medicaid reimbursement rates as well as loan repayment systems. I've found articles that show this increase in primary care salaries ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceja...000-as-value-based-model-boosts-primary-care/ ), not sure how true/credible that is. However, I haven't found many articles that show if rates of primary care doctors have increased since the ACA was passed? Also to what extent has healthcare tried to fill this gap with NPs/PAs?

The 2015 Medscape physician salary report shows family med docs at 195,000. I'm not sure how they averaged out to reach the 240k number.

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

The 2015 Medscape physician salary report shows family med docs at 195,000. I'm not sure how they averaged out to reach the 240k number.

I'm not either... It must be regionally isolated? Like rural? It's hard to find good, non-biased articles.