News from 2009: ObamaCare, a Government Takeover of Healthcare

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/12652-obamacare-a-government-takeover-of-healthcare

Wednesday, 29 August 2012 15:01

ObamaCare, a Government Takeover of Healthcare

Written by  Brian Koenig

Highlighting the physician aspect of the debate, McClanahan exploits the claim that ObamaCare will force every physician or individual who practices medicine to leave the profession. While, of course, every doctor won’t transition to a new career, studies show that physician shortages have already become a serious problem, likely due to current and prospective components of the law’s implementation.

Furthermore, the government’s extension of coverage to millions of new Americans has already prompted doctor shortages. The New York Times reported in July that an economically-depressed region in Southern California, the Inland Empire, is expecting widespread physician shortages, as the healthcare law — and, in turn, the government — will be extending coverage in the area to more than 300,000 by 2014:

Other places around the country, including the Mississippi Delta, Detroit and suburban Phoenix, face similar problems. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. And that number will more than double by 2025, as the expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of baby boomers drive up demand for care. Even without the health care law, the shortfall of doctors in 2025 would still exceed 100,000.

Further revealing the government’s unrelenting expansion in the U.S. healthcare system, the Congressional Budget Office found that ObamaCare will inflate the national debt $1.36 trillion in seven years after just two crucial mandates reach full implementation. Moreover, the law adds 150 new federal healthcare missions and boards, which will further restrict the consumer’s choice in fulfilling his or her own health needs.

McClanahan attempts to belittle those ObamaCare opponents who allege, “If the government has one iota of involvement in any form, it is a government takeover.” But while President Obama’s landmark healthcare overhaul may not establish a single-payer healthcare system, it has authorized the government to take over crucial aspects of the system, so analysts can arguably conclude that the law has ignited a “government takeover.”