"It is getting a lot harder to do this"

Molina is just one of thousands of primary care doctors nationwide working in an area designated as having too few health professions to meet the needs of the population.

Advertisement

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that there is a shortage of up to 20,000 physicians and that the deficit will grow to 100,000 physicians in the next decade. An aging population – and an aging population of physicians themselves – will make matters worse as health needs become more severe and as doctors retire without enough new ones to replace them. And, millions more Americans will rely on our existing physicians when the Affordable Care Act fully kicks in next year.

“We are very concerned that we’re going to hand insurance cards to 30 million people and we won’t have the doctors to treat them,” says Dr. Atul Grover, the chief public policy officer at the AAMC.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement