Anesthesiologist Salaries and Universal Healthcare
Each major-party presidential candidate has offered a plan to reform the U.S.
healthcare system, but how do those in the surgical suite view the issue?
Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of anesthesiologists responding to a recent
anesthesiologist salary survey conducted by physician recruiting firm
LocumTenens.com said universal healthcare would negatively affect their
personal incomes.
Among 427 anesthesiologist salary survey respondents, 29 percent indicated the
policy would have no effect on their earnings. Only 8 percent thought universal
healthcare’s effect on their personal incomes would be positive.
“We surveyed physicians in four specialties on compensation-related issues and,
overall, 42 percent of respondents predicted that universal healthcare would
negatively affect their incomes, while the same number predicted no effect,”
LocumTenens.com Senior Vice President Pamela McKemie said. “Our
anesthesiologist respondents definitely showed the highest rate of negativity
about their professional outlook under a universal healthcare scenario.”
While many survey respondents were unsure how “universal healthcare” would be
defined or implemented, even more anesthesiologists offered negative comments
about how such a policy would likely affect their practices. For example:
- “Universal healthcare will mean Medicaid reimbursement rates. All physician
incomes will decline substantially and quality of patient care will erode due
to inability to maintain practice costs.”
- “Any single payer would dictate fees to physicians, like Medicare does
currently.”
- “All physicians will work harder for the same income.”
- “It's inevitable. Salaries will decrease, but along with this will likely be a
big decrease in clinical workload and/or effort by doctors.”
- “It would definitely reduce my income and thus I would go ahead and retire.”
Straining the Surgical Suite
Earlier this year LocumTenens.com published physician survey results indicating
that as much as 20 percent of the country’s physician work force will stop
practicing medicine if the U.S. implements universal healthcare under the new
president. Additional analysis of the survey’s 1,400 responses indicated that
the vast majority of that 20 percent were anesthesiologists, surgeons or
radiologists.
“With waves of baby boomers heading into retirement, surgery volume is
increasing,” McKemie said. “Since more than a quarter (26%) of U.S.
anesthesiologists are age 55 or older, we need to be careful not to reduce
their ranks even more through what we do to reform healthcare.” She noted that
at least one study has predicted a 47-percent increase in surgery volume by
2020.
In spite of their “issues” with medicine, most 2008 anesthesiologist
respondents (73%) said they would choose medicine as a career again if given
the choice.
About LocumTenens.com
Founded in 1995, LocumTenens.com is a full-service physician and CRNA
recruiting firm specializing in supplemental placement of anesthesiologists,
radiologists, psychiatrists, surgeons and CRNAs (certified registered nurse
anesthetists) with U.S. hospitals, medical groups and community health centers.
LocumTenens.com is part of the Jackson Healthcare family of
companies.
In addition to full-service recruiting assistance, LocumTenens.com operates
free job boards at www.LocumTenens.com
and www.CRNAJobs.com
which currently have more than
2,000 anesthesiology opportunities posted.
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