Universal health care would lead to loss of doctors, survey shows

ALPHARETTA, Ga. According to a recent survey, 20 percent of doctors said they would quit practicing if the U.S. adopted universal health care. A majority, 63 percent, responded that they would continue practicing.

The survey, conducted by the physician-recruiting firm Locum Tenens, polled nearly 1,400 physicians.

A separate survey by parent firm Jackson & Coker polled more than 1,000 doctors and healthcare workers and found almost near-universal agreement that healthcare reform should make healthcare and prescription drugs more affordable and accessible to patients, but disagreement over what form the reform should take. Forty-six percent of physicians polled favored the current system, but with improvements, while 38 percent favored universal healthcare. Only 2 percent favored leaving the current system in place, while 14 percent had their own ideas.