Massachussetts healthcare reform poll shows troubling shape of things to come for Obamacare

For a view of the shape of things to come post-Obamacare, read this article on public opinion in Massachusetts, based on a Massachusetts Medical Society poll.
 

Causes for concern:

• Wait times of over a month for primary care are reported;

• ER use is at an all-time high;

• Cost remains a consumer concern;

• 2/3 of respondents do not want to see NP or PA instead of MD or DO.

On the bright side, most respondents are satisfied with and have access to health care. But since Obamacare is so similar to the Massachusetts system (aka Romneycare during the last election), the items above show the issues that will emerge in all likelihood. People who are frustrated with wait times will head to expensive emergency rooms. Costs will remain a consumer concern but will be even more challenging to the federal government. Substituting PAs and NPs for physicians, a logical solution to address cost and access issues, will be challenging based on consumer preference for MDs and DOs.

See a local press report with a  link to the survey results here:

http://www.golocalworcester.com/health/mms-releases-health-care-public-opinion-poll-for-2013/