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Under a single-payer, government run universal healthcare program in America, would patients get to keep their doctors, this is a serious question.
Depends on the doctor. I am going to assume that if the government gets control of healthcare, then they are going to restrict what a doctor can demand to be paid, so it will be up to the doctor to take the pay cut, or go to a private practice, kind of like how we have our school systems set up.
Unless we can overhaul the entire medical industry, remove crippling student debt that medical school incurs, and find non financial ways to incentivize people to remain/become physicians, surgeons, specialists, etc. then the long term answer is NO. Simply going to a "medicare for all" system isn't going to work and it amuses me to see people say things like "doctors will be FORCED to accept it" when no, they won't be. They can walk and take their skill elsewhere because people with money will always pay, unless you want to make non government sanctioned healthcare illegal or something, then you are really talking change!
Single payer can't afford things the way they are.
I wouldn't care if I kept the same doctor. If you get your insurance through a company then over time there is a good change your provider changes and therefore the list of participators (i.e. your doctor) change.
One thing we know for sure -- Medicare would END with a single payer program.
There can be no such thing as "Medicare for All" .... those of weasel words to make single payer, Socialist Medical care palatable to the Sheeple.
If it became single payer, I would assume we'd all get assigned to certain geographical areas and then need to use those doctors in those areas. Or maybe not. Maybe you could just go anywhere that has an opening.
Sure, there are going to be doctors who opt out if they feel they have a wealthy client base. There are others that may do a hybrid. It's hard to say.
I think it's safe to say that there may be a risk that the system is revamped enough that you won't have as much choice. That will benefit some and hurt others.
For instance, I have health insurance but the doctor I really like doesn't accept my insurance so I have to go to another one. Maybe with single payer, I'd get different access.
Under a single-payer, government run universal healthcare program in America, would patients get to keep their doctors, this is a serious question.
The answer is two-fold.
First, if the doctor agreed to work for the universal healthcare program and the pay scale the government set, then the patient would have access to that doctor.
If the doctor did not agree to work for the universal healthcare program, and had a private practice instead, then the patient would have to pay for that doctor's services directly, at the doctor's rates, or the patient would have to purchase an insurance that the doctor accepted.
Universal healthcare does not mean that every doctor will get paid by the government, and that every patient will have access to every doctor, nor does it mean that insurance will go away.
Doctors will have choices, and patients will have choices, and insurance will still be an option.
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