Obama, Doctors, and Health Reform

In Obama, Doctors, and Health Reform, Richard Reece, MD explains what patient-centered care, physician demoralization, the entrepreneurial U.S. culture, and our system's complexities portend for reform. Reform and its handmaiden, transformation, hinge on how America's individualistic, entrepreneurial, and innovative culture responds to demands for higher quality, lower costs, and greater access. When 78 million baby boomers turn 65 in 2011, they will expect the best medical care and a personal physician to care for them, as will the rest of the population. Will the doctors be there? And what will the care be like? Whatever the answers, it will require more personal involvement and personal responsibility on your part. You may be asked: What plan do you want, a government alternative to a private plan? An HMO, PPO, basic plan, or a high deductible plan linked to a tax-deductible health savings account (HSA)? You may choose to receive your care at a retail clinic at a drug store or in a discount store. You may carry with you a personal hard disk loaded with your medical history. If present trends continue, you also may have a hard time finding a personal doctor to care for you. What will you do then?