Obama's health care plan may pose problems for medical students

But some students aren't worried about future

By: Edward Humphrys

Posted: 11/17/08

With President-elect Barack Obama just months away from his inauguration, one of his agendas is gaining more attention and a host of supporters. Obama's health care reform became one of the main avenues for criticism from the Republican Party during the campaign, and these criticisms often incorporated accusations of socialistic intentions.

Even though the race is now over, the focus has largely shifted to curiosity as to how the reforms will affect the U.S health care system, a system long criticized as being obsolete in its coverage when compared with the health care systems of other industrialized nations.

While all Americans will in some way be affected by Obama's proposed reforms, medical students in particular will experience the full scope of the reform firsthand and can more effectively predict the resulting change in the health care system.

"I think the purpose of 'government-provided health care' is to effectively create a basic insurance package that is affordable for all Americans, but not mandatory," said Kelly Taylor, diversity chair for Alpha Epsilon Delta, the UA pre-medical society. "Although the term 'affordable' has yet to be clearly defined.

"This is a great idea because this will help keep people out of the emergency rooms," Taylor said. "With affordable care available, people will be able to see their doctor in a clinic setting and will be able to more easily avoid the hospital.

"I think this will help demolish the bureaucracy of the health care system today and give the power back to the patients and physicians."

With reactions as varied as that of the general public, optimism seems to be a prevailing strain of thought among UA pre-medical students eager to begin practicing and largely positively minded about the changes the reform might bring.

"I feel that Obama's health care plan is a positive step toward providing all Americans with affordable medical care coverage," said Rachel Thomas, a UA pre-medical student.

"His plan to address the high costs of medical care seems promising, through improving efficiency in health care settings, monitoring patients' quality of care and increasing competition among insurance providers.

"Also, his goal of holding employers accountable for providing health coverage to their employees and granting tax credits to smaller businesses to enable them to do so will make health care insurance policies much more accessible," Thomas said.

"In addition, the competition created through providing citizens with a choice between the national insurance plan and private coverage could drive down costs, making even private health care coverage more affordable."

Others are more skeptical as to whether the reform will fix all of the U.S. health care system's flaws, and some critics wary of the reform have pointed to the risk of creating parallels with some of the major problems inherent in the progressive health care systems of the United Kingdom and Canada, where a high demand caused by universal coverage has placed a workload on the insufficient number of physicians practicing in those countries.

But others are quick to point out the differences between the Canadian and United Kingdom systems and the environment that would be created under Obama's reforms.

"First of all, I don't think the change in health care system should be called 'universal health care' because it is not a government handout," Taylor said. "It is not free for all citizens. It's just simply more available."

Taylor also is doubtful that the United States will experience Canada's loss of physicians because of a lack of interest in the profession and the high number of Canadian trained physicians who choose to practice in the United States because of the working conditions in their home country.

"I don't think there will be a decrease in interest in medical professions," he said. "There is still a high level of applicants to medical schools even though our current system is becoming a disaster. I think the interest in a medical profession will stay the same, or maybe even grow as our system changes."

Though with coverage available to more citizens, the United States still could experience the Canadian system's long wait times and the delay experienced by many who wait for noncritical operations.

"I think the working conditions for the field will get better, if anything," Taylor said. "With clinic settings, away from the business-oriented hospitals, I think the job will be more rewarding and beneficial to the patients.

"A potential problem would be denial or a long wait time for elective procedures because people that need the procedure would probably be placed in front of them in a waiting line," he said. "I think the U.S. is aware of the mistakes of Canada and the UK and does not intend on following in their footsteps."

Whether reforms alter the professional landscape for future physicians is not an issue for some who are dedicated to the idea of becoming physicians.

"As time has progressed, intervention from the government has, as well," said Ryan Belcher, president of Alpha Epsilon Delta. "I don't think the health care system will turn into a socialistic system. Even if it did, it would not affect my personal thoughts on being a practicing doctor.

"Change is going to happen by the time our generation becomes doctors," he said. "We will have possibly gone through three different presidents before we start practicing, so to expect the system to be set up a certain way when we are licensed is far-fetched.

"I am not at all worried about my future career," Belcher said. "It is something that is very stressed to us students, but it is true: if you are going into medicine based on money, then it's not going to work out.

Belcher said he intends to be a doctor because he loves everything about the profession.

"I can't worry about the UK or Canada's programs," he said. "There is always a need for doctors."