News and briefs: California braces for shortage of primary care physicians

At least two million Californians are expected to gain access to healthcare when the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in 2014, which would strain the state’s primary care physician workforce, according to a recent Marin Independent Journal article.

The state could need as many as 2,000 additional primary care physicians, yet fewer medical students plan to work in primary care, according to the article. One reason for the decline in primary care physician is salary.  The article cites a survey from Medscape that found the average primary care physician earned $156,000 to $165,000 in 2011, while specialists reported making twice as much.

To cope with the shortage, groups like the California Academy of Family Physicians are seeking more funding for residency training, the Independent Journal reports. Currently, California has 309 family medicine residency openings each year.