Most Doctors Like the Public Option

By Jeremy Herb

Ever wondered what your doctor thinks about the public option? A survey published today found most doctors are in favor of it. The study, funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found nearly three quarters of physicians surveyed supported a public option in the U.S. health-care system. The majority, 63 percent, favored a health-care system with both private and government-run insurance options, and 10 percent preferred a public-only system. Twenty-seven percent favored a private insurance system without creating a public option.

The report, published in The New England Journal of Medicine and written by Salmoeh Keyhani and Alex Federman of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, surveyed 2,130 physicians between June 25 and Sept. 3. The poll examined support for the public option geographically, too, finding that a majority of physicians in all regions supported it. "The clear message here is that physicians who are on the front line of the health-care system know the system is broken and that it's time for us to do something about it," says John Lumpkins, a senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The survey also asked doctors if they supported expanding Medicare to allow 55- to 64-year-olds the option to "buy in." Fifty-eight percent were in favor. The researchers pointed out that although many voters fear that a public option will mean government interference with medical decision making, most doctors themselves aren't particularly worried. "Our data suggests that physicians do not view Medicare, a major U.S. government program, as negatively affecting their autonomy and ability to get their patients the services they need," the authors wrote.

It's not all good news for public option proponents though:  while physicians support Medicare expansion, they still like working with private insurance more. Forty-six percent said their overall experience was better with private insurers, compared to just 21 percent who favored traditional Medicare.