The concept of health care conjures up some basic archetypes, often formulated early on in life. From hospital beds to emergency rooms to the white coats shrouding the all-knowing vessels of medical knowledge, we have ingrained in us an idea of what care is supposed to look like.
But what if there aren’t enough of the white coats? What if the cost of care proves prohibitive for many? What happens when economic forces and new laws force a system to reconfigure infrastructure and formulate new ideas about who provides care and where they do it?
Three-Part Series:
New structures compliment push for Doctors
Even before health care reform emerged, it was clear major change was coming to the medical industry. The trajectories of economic and demographic trends wouldn’t allow the current model to quietly plod along. The issues: Shortages in doctors and other professionals, a minefield of problems with insurance companies, limited access in cases, an aging Baby Boomer generation, and costs far in excess of those of developed countries, even those with older populations.
The Affordable Care Act passed a little more than 14 months ago, after the Democrats solidified control of both Congress and the White House in 2008. Health care insurance was essentially mandated for all by 2014 to increase access to primary care, with the aim of reducing the need for major care later. The law included rules and programs designed to curb excesses of insurers while forcing them to be more inclusive, and to incentivize providers to improve efficiency and communication. Left untouched by recent assaults on its legality, the law will dramatically alter the face of the industry on its own.
But change will come even if opponents manage to change or repeal parts of health care reform. Doctor shortages already were estimated to stretch into the tens of thousands in just a few years. Costs have not merely outpaced inflation, but lapped it. And that was before the Baby Boomers – including a major share of doctors – began to hit retirement age this year.
Hospitals and doctors’ offices looking to save money and other health care providers and professionals looking to fill unquenchable demand have already started to change how health care is delivered and who delivers it. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants have seen their roles as primary care providers expand, and experts from multiple fields have cited trends like team care, home care, and retail care as ways to expand the reach of basic medical care.
Experts from all corners agree that change isn’t just coming, it’s already here.