Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Looming Shortage Of Primary Care Physicians Leads To New Efforts To Attract Med Students To The Field
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Doctor Shortage To Worsen, Patients Could Pay More For Fewer Options
A looming primary care physician shortage has medical schools and hospital systems looking for ways to attract new doctors to the field. The shortage could make it harder for patients to see a primary care physician, increase health disparities among the underserved and raise costs as patients turn to the more-expensive emergency room for care, said Dr. Patricia Thomas, vice dean for medical education at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. (Christ, 8/11)
The Associated Press: To Boost Workforce, Medical Schools Try To Sell Rural Life
On a field trip to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Ashish Bibireddy put on headphones and scrolled through a jukebox of music from an influential 1927 recording session. Bibireddy and nine other medical students had already been biking and rafting on their visit to rural Appalachia organized by a nearby medical college. But it wasn’t just casual sightseeing; the tour was part of a concerted effort to attract a new generation of doctors to rural areas struggling with health care shortages. The Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University is among a small group of medical schools across the U.S. with programs dedicated to bolstering the number of primary care doctors in rural communities. (Thanawala, 8/9)
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg's plan on some of these rural health issues —
New Hampshire Union Leader: Buttigieg Says Rural Plan Would Keep NH Clinics Open, Fill More Jobs
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said his rural health plan will help shore up New Hampshire hospitals at risk of closure, cope with the shuttering of nine maternity wards, and cope with a chronic shortage of health care workers especially needed to work in small towns. The South Bend, Ind., mayor is expected to present his plan Friday. The Union Leader received an advance copy of the report along with detailed findings for how it would impact New Hampshire, a state in which one third of its residents and 44 percent of veterans live in rural areas. (Landrigan, 8/10)
The Hill: Buttigieg Unveils Plan To Improve Health Care In Rural Areas
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) on Friday unveiled a plan to overhaul the nation's health care system that would implement a public insurance option while working to improve and expand health services in rural areas and on Native American reservations. The plan stipulates that Americans with private health insurance who wish to remain on their plans will be allowed to do so, while also calling to "strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protect it from Republican attacks" and implement a public insurance option. (Bowden, 8/9))
