Why Doctors Are Afraid of Healthcare Reform

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - February 11, 2010) - Doctors are afraid of healthcare reform hurting their practices so badly that many feel they may be forced to quit medicine.

According to David Mitchel, a healthcare industry expert and marketing consultant for healthcare companies, doctors are already being hammered by lower fees from managed care companies and rising malpractice insurance premiums. Healthcare reform may shrink those revenues even further.

"Doctors are outright scared," said Mitchel, VP of Norton Mitchel Marketing (www.nortonmitchel.com). "Since the dawn of managed care, the costs of operating their practices have done nothing but rise, while their potential revenues continue to drop."

Mitchel said doctors have four basic issues with healthcare reform:

--  Government Involvement - The vast majority of physicians oppose
    government involvement in their businesses. They have not been pleased
    with VA, Medicare/Medicaid, as these patients do not optimize revenue
    and profits for practices. Practitioners need private insurance
    patients to offset costs of treating these patients.
--  Quality of Care - Many physicians are considering quitting or retiring
    if the proposed health care reform becomes law. This is especially true
    amongst practitioners aged between 55 and 65. Retiring seems like a
    preferable option as compared to working under a new order. With fewer
    doctors available and more demand for medical services, quality of care
    will drop.
--  Costs - Medical school is an expensive proposition. Schooling for
    specialists particularly is so expensive that they are fearful that if
    they charge what the government will pay, they will never recoup school
    expenses.  Most doctors are saddled with huge debts for at least the
    first 10-15 years of their careers.
--  Malpractice - The health care reform bill does nothing to address one
    of the biggest complaints of doctors: the cost of malpractice
    insurance. The cost of malpractice insurance is rising rapidly, driving
    up healthcare costs.

"As Americans continue to age and live longer because of medical science, we cannot afford to lose skilled physicians while at the same time reducing the pool of new physicians entering the field," Mitchel said. "Unless healthcare reform can address these issues, it may just be a recipe for disaster."

About David Mitchel

David Mitchel, VP of healthcare consulting firm Norton Mitchel Marketing, holds an MBA, and has experience in healthcare marketing and cross-cultural business interactions, with particular emphasis on Latin America.

Contact Information: Contact: Rachel Friedman Rachel@newsandexperts.com