“I feel like when I see a Medicare patient I have the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head.”
Those are the words of Arizona dermatologist Joseph Scherzer, M.D.
It’s no secret that physicians face onerous regulatory burdens on a daily basis. With the passage of the recent health care law, doctors anticipate more headaches to come with the practice of medicine in the near future.
For that reason, Dr. Scherzer put up a sign which reads as follows: “If you voted for Obamacare, be aware these doors will close before it goes into effect.”
Scherzer’s primary concern is the punitive actions that he and other physicians face at the hands of the federal government if they don’t adhere to government-prescribed treatment methods.
A recent survey of Connecticut physicians confirms that Dr. Scherzer is not alone in his frustration. The Hartford Courant states: “Health care reform is poised to increase the number of people with health insurance, but the newly insured may have a hard time finding a doctor, according to a survey of primary care physicians by the Connecticut State Medical Society.”
Matthew Katz, the Executive Vice President of the Connecticut State Medical Society, makes an observation repeatedly overlooked by those people still celebrating about making history:
“Insurance being provided is not access to care.”
If Dr. Scherzer closes his doors and other physicians continue to cut back on their patient loads, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the geniuses on Capitol Hill will look to impose patient quotas on the country’s physicians (as if that would solve the problem).
Just wait.
