A poll just out, conducted by LocumTenens.com, shows that just 11 percent of the nation's doctors believe that the Health Insurance Marketplaces envisioned by the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) will be operational in their states by the Oct. 1, 2013, deadline.
The results get more dismal when doctors were queried about provisions of Obamacare that would directly affect them:
- How familiar are you with how the marketplaces will affect your business? Extremely familiar, 2.84%; moderately familiar, 15.54%, and not at all familiar, 56.46%.
- How familiar are you with contract rates with payers in the marketplaces? Extremely familiar, 2.2%; moderately familiar, $12.33%; not at all familiar, 65.64%.
- How familiar are you with marketplace cancellation policies and grace periods? Extremely familiar, 2.2%; moderately familiar, 11.67%; not at all familiar, 67.62%.
- How familiar areyou with the claims process? Extremely familiar, 1.98%; moderately familiar, 11.45%; not at all familiar, 70.48%.
Shane Jackson, president and COO of LocumTenens.com, said the results are potential red flags for not only the finances of those physicians' offices, but also for their patients, who "rely on their doctor for a lot of information."
"They expect to a large degree that their doctors understand how this is all going to work," said Jackson, whose company is a full-service physician staffing agency and online industry job board.
The results were reported this morning by CNBC.