MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- A majority of American
doctors now support the concept of national health insurance, which
represents a shift in thinking over the past five years, a new
survey finds.
Typically, national health insurance plans involve a single,
federally administered social insurance fund that guarantees health
coverage for everyone. In most cases, these plans eliminate or
substantially reduce the role of private insurance companies.
A survey conducted last year of 2,193 physicians across the
United States found that 59 percent support "government legislation
to establish national health insurance," while 32 percent oppose
it, and 9 percent are neutral. In 2002, a similar survey found that
49 percent of physicians supported the concept, while 40 percent
opposed it.
"Many claim to speak for physicians and reflect their views. We
asked doctors directly and found that, contrary to conventional
wisdom, most doctors support the government creating national
health insurance," study author Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, director of
Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism
Research, said in a prepared statement.
The new findings were included in a study published March 31 in
the
Annals of Internal Medicine.
Support for national health insurance has increased across all
medical specialties, said study co-author Dr. Ronald T. Ackermann,
associate director of the Center for Health Policy and
Professionalism Research at Indiana University's School of
Medicine.
"Across the board, more physicians feel that our fragmented and
for-profit insurance system is obstructing good patient care, and a
majority now support national insurance as the remedy," Ackermann
said in a prepared statement.
The strongest support for NHI is among psychiatrists (83
percent), pediatric sub-specialists (71 percent), emergency
medicine physicians (69 percent), general pediatricians (65
percent), general internists (64 percent), and family physicians
(60 percent). About 55 percent of general surgeons support NIH,
roughly double their level of support in 2002.
About 47 million Americans lack health insurance coverage, and
it's believed another 50 million are underinsured. Health-care
costs in the United States are increasing about 7 percent a year,
twice the rate of inflation. Many doctors are concerned about these
issues, according to background information in the study.
Last December, the 124,000-member American College of Physicians
-- the nation's largest medical specialty group -- endorsed a
single-payer national health insurance program.
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