Responding to President Barack Obama's claim that funding for proposed healthcare reforms exists within the current system, payers and physicians have different views on where those savings would be found.
According to new KantarHealth study, payers believe that reducing what Obama called "waste, fraud and abuse" in hospital care will provide the funding, while physicians point to prescription drugs as the prime source of potential savings.
According to Steven Mackey, global account director at KantarHealth, although payers and physicians don't see eye to eye on the funding source, they are in synch when it comes to their reactions to the proposal. When asked if they agreed with Obama's proposed healthcare reforms, 50 percent of payers and 42 percent of physicians say they do not support the proposal. And almost 30 percent of both groups believe they still need more information before making a decision.
The study found physicians are more concerned than payers about the effects of healthcare reform on their practices, with 57 percent believing the proposal would have a negative impact on their businesses. About a quarter of physicians believe the impact would be positive – and a little more than 20 percent don't think they would feel any effects if healthcare reform were to be adopted.
Fewer than half of payers share doctors' concerns that the reforms would negatively impact their businesses – and more than a quarter don't expect to see any effect at all. Similar to physicians, about a quarter of payers expect a positive business outcome from the reforms, the study found.
Doctors were concerned with what they see as a chronic shortage and unequal distribution of primary care doctors, even before the expansion of healthcare. Many doctors surveyed urged a "dramatic increase in the training of primary care physicians, especially in family medicine," according to the study.
Although most doctors are worried, many do agree on the benefit the reforms could provide, such as supporting better preventive care and decreasing the use of expensive emergency room services. One obstetrician described the expected effects of the reforms as allowing physicians to "see more patients in the office, boost preventive care, reduce acute care problems and make office visits and drugs more affordable" for patients.
The study was based on responses to an online survey from 507 physicians and 44 payers. It was conducted in September with primary care and specialist doctors on the All Global physician panel and medical and pharmacy directors on the KantarHealth payer panel.
KantarHealth is a New York-based, healthcare-focused global consulting firm.