Lawmakers continue to weigh in on physician shortage, Affordable Care Act

As previously covered, lawmakers continue to weigh in on the question of who can provide what kinds of healthcare. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, legislators and medical professionals are worried that there will not be enough physicians in Florida to treat patients, according to The Sun Sentinel.

As many as 2.5 million Floridians could be added to the 15 million who already have health insurance by January 1, 2014, the date by which most adults are required to have coverage. In addition, 5,600 of the state’s 44,804 physicians are expected to retire in the next five years, which is more than the amount of physicians who will graduate from the state’s six medical schools and residency programs. As a result, a physician shortage looms and lawmakers are now looking at the question of who can provide what kinds of healthcare.

Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, for example, is sponsoring a bill that would expand the reach of optometrists and give them the authority to prescribe any medications, but does not define surgery. Medical doctors are fighting such proposals, suggesting that non-physicians should not exceed their training, and that granting more authority to them could jeopardize patient safety.

Read more about the “medical turf wars” on The Sun Sentinelwebsite.