Republicans are Blocking Commission on Primary Care Doctor Shortages

The National Health Care Workforce Commission was created by the President Obama’s Affordable Care Act in order to study the nation-wide shortage of primary care doctors and offer recommendations on actions that Congress can take to encourage more medical students to follow this career path. Because the Affordable Care Act will also provide insurance for an additional 32 million Americans by the middle of this decade, our current shortages of primary care and family medicine doctors are projected to become even worse. The work of the commission, along with other provisions of the reform law, is targeted at increasing the number of primary care physicians by providing more training and increasing their pay.

Unfortunately, this previously bi-partisan idea has come under fire from congressional Republicans who have refused to appropriate the funds necessary for this commission to do its work. Their first report was due in April but because of the partisan gridlock in Congress the commission has only been able to host a single conference call so far.

Future shortages of primary care physicians won’t just mean longer wait times. Primary care shortages will also fuel increasing health care cost growth as in-demand physicians will be able to command higher fees for their time.

As The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn notes, sarcastically, “It's almost as if the Republicans are more interested in political symbolism than they are in making sure people can see the doctor in a timely fashion.”

- Center for American Progress / Washington Post / The New Republic