Nurse-Practitioners: The Answer to the Doctor Shortage? – AARP:
Let’s do the math: We have nearly 30 million uninsured people about to get medical coverage under the health care law come January. And we have a projected shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians by 2020. Add to that the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), with 43,000 members who say they can offer basic care if state laws would just let them set up an independent practice without doctor supervision.
And the answer is …
The nurse-practitioners, of course, say it’s a matter of simple addition: New laws are needed to give them more autonomy.
But doctors say it’s a miscalculation to think that patient safety won’t be compromised by not having a doctor overseeing things. Family physicians have more than four times as much education and training, accumulating an average of 21,700 hours, whereas nurse-practitioners receive 5,350 hours, the American Academy of Family Physicians points out.This is from the AARP who pushed for Obamacare because they are also an insurance company and not just any insurance company, they are the MOST EXPENSIVE insurance company. In my opinion they suck, they are lying scum and they cheat the very people they claim to represent. Screw them!
