Wash. Post: Majority Doctors Supporting Concept National Health Insurance

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

a majority of american doctors now support the concept of national health insurance, which represents a shift in thinking over the past five years, according to a study published in the annals of internal medicine.

a survey conducted last year of 2,193 physicians across the united states found that 59 percent support "government legislation to establish national health insurance," while 32 percent oppose it, and 9 percent are neutral; in 2002, a similar survey found that 49 percent of physicians supported the concept, while 40 percent opposed it, reported the washington post. the strongest support for nhi is among psychiatrists (83 percent), pediatric sub- specialists (71 percent), emergency medicine physicians (69 percent), general pediatricians (65 percent), general internists (64 percent), and family physicians (60 percent), while about 55 percent of general surgeons support nih, roughly double their level of support in 2002, the post noted. typically, national health insurance plans involve a single, federally administered social insurance fund that guarantees health coverage for everyone, while in most cases these plans eliminate or substantially reduce the role of private insurance companies, the post added.

washington post, march 31, 2008

read on...

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

thank you karen!

i find this significant:

...last december, the 124,000-member american college of physicians -- the nation's largest medical specialty group -- endorsed a single-payer national health insurance program....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/31/ar2008033102253.html?sub=ar