Resumen de Addressing the Physician Shortage: The Peril of Ignoring Demography

Darrell G. Kirch, Kate Petelle

• Does the United States have enough physicians?—No.

  The United States faces a serious physician shortage that is likely to worsen in the coming decade without multifaceted intervention. At the same time, the US health care system is in a period of marked uncertainty, and many questions are on the horizon—from the future of health insurance coverage to how scientific discoveries will revolutionize medicine in the coming decades. With multiple variables affecting how the health needs of the United States will evolve in the next few years, physician workforce projections must consider this complex and dynamic landscape.