The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will likely not succeed in reducing the cost of healthcare in the United States, according to a recent survey of 2694 physicians. At least, that was the opinion of 70% of the survey frespondents. 67% of them also felt the legislation would not improve the doctor-patient relationship. Only 12% of respondents reported that the ACA “brought the reform needed in healthcare.”
The survey [5] also asked physicians to grade the reform. Although 31% of felt the reform was worthy of an “A” or “B,” the mean average grade was a “D.”
According to the survey, which was organized by Jackson Healthcare:
- 66% of respondents said ACA would weaken physicians' control over their practice decisions.
- 61% said ACA would not improve the quality of healthcare.
- 55% said Congress should scrap ACA and start over.
- 54% said ACA would increase patients' access to care.
- 49% said ACA would give patients less control over their healthcare.
- 35% said it did nothing to reform healthcare.
- 31% said ACA didn't go far enough and a single-payer system is needed.
- 22% said ACA went too far and impedes a physician's ability to practice medicine.
While the U.S. public remains uncomfortable with some of the legislations reforms, others remain popular. For example, the provision to allow parents to extend insurance to their children until the age of 26 has wide support. In fact, UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest private health insurance company, has announced that will continue to offer this provision, even if the Supreme Court strikes the legislation down in a ruling expected later this month. In addition, UnitedHealthcare also supports other provisions of the ACA such as the use of preventive services such as immunizations or screening for diabetes without requiring co-payments.
Brian Buntz is the editor-at-large at UBM Canon's medical group. Follow him on Twitter at @brian_buntz [6].
Related Content
- Q&A with Jane Orient, MD: Healthcare Reform Will Enslave Physicians [7]
- Cardiovascular Business Expert: When it Comes to Healthcare Reform, Stop Playing the Victim and Start Planning [8]
- “Medicine Is Swallowing the Federal Budget:” George Will at AAOS [9]