November 13, 2013
Article titled: Health News You Can Lose?
“Whether you rely on the evening news, the morning paper, or Twitter, it’s hard to miss grabby health stories about all the things that are going to lead to your untimely demise-a daily diet soda, vitamins, your dishwasher…the list goes on. But take heart; The truth is often less scary than the headlines would have you believe. Here’s the real story behind some of 2013’s most buzz-worthy health scoops…
HEADLINE: Come January, there won’t be enough doctors to go around!
REALITY CHECK: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 14 million Americans should become insured next year, compounding an existing physician shortage. (We already need about 16,000 more doctors, according to one estimate, and the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortfall of 45,400 primary care physicians by 2020.) But if you already have insurance and an established relationship with a doctor, you likely won’t notice any change. The newly insured may simply face longer wait times (averaging one to two months) for an initial visit, says Elbert Huang, MD, associate professor at the University of Chicago Medicine.”
-Jessica Girdwain