Why are we surprised by the obvious?
The New York Times reported last Friday on what is likely to happen when California’s Medicaid roles expand significantly in January due to mandates in Obamacare. Some doctors are already saying they will take no more medicare patients. Some don't take them at all. Why? They can't afford it because the government pays doctors less than all other patients.
Doctors have to make a living. The cost of their malpractice insurance is high. There are nursing and staff and offices expenses. Younger doctors are still paying off student loans. Most hate the paperwork the government requires and the debates with bureaucrats over the cost of an office visit, tests, or an examination.
Too many think they have a right to free medical care because that's what politicians tell them. Services cost money. Even when the government pays for them, we are paying the cost with our tax dollars. The California doctor shortage is just the beginning.
I’m Cal Thomas in Washington.
Publication date: December 2, 2013
