Majority of PCPs Oppose Complete Repeal of Obamacare

HealthDay News — A majority of primary care doctors oppose full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers polled 426 internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, geriatricians, and family doctors and found that only 15% agree with a complete dismantling of the health reform law.

About three-quarters of the doctors support changes to the law. Those changes include creating a public option like Medicare to compete with private plans, paying doctors for value rather than volume, and increasing the use of health savings accounts. Only 29% of the doctors support increased use of high-deductible health plans.

The survey found strong support for parts of the Affordable Care Act: 

• 95% of the doctors support rules prohibiting insurers from denying coverage or charging higher prices to people with pre-existing conditions.
• 88% support allowing young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance plan until age 26.
• 91% support tax credits to small businesses that offer health insurance to employees.
• 75% support tax subsidies to individuals to buy insurance
• 72% support Medicaid expansion.
• 50% support tax penalties for people who don’t buy health insurance. 

Among the doctors, no Democrats want complete repeal, compared with 32% of Republicans and nearly 38% of those who voted for President Donald Trump.

Reference

Pollack CE, Armstrong K, Grande D. A view from the front line – physicians’ perspectives on ACA repeal. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:e8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1700144