PORT RICHEY, FL -- At Wednesday's AARP health care forum in Port Richey, raised hands replaced the screaming matches we saw throughout August.
And, most of the room raised their hands when asked if they were on Medicare, including Pauline Micklos and Carl Backelman.
"I'm satisfied with my Medicare now because I chose whatever I want and whoever I want to see," says Pauline Micklos of New Port Richey.
"You still have your choices of doctors you still have your choice of hospitals of prescriptions," says Carl Backelman of Trinity.
Yet Pauline and Carl fear a government take-over of health care. They worry that their choices will be limited if health insurance is made available to everyone, including the 40 million plus people without any insurance today. Reporter Kerry Kavanaugh did some research and found that is a valid concern.
AARP and American Academy of Family Physicians, both non-profits and pro-health care reform, say a primary care doctor shortage is a problem with or without reform as fewer doctors are enter into family practice.
"They're concerned about scarcity," says Jeff Johnson a Florida Director of AARP.
Johnson says they are working to make sure any health care reform includes plans to maintain and increase the number of primary care physicians.
"We have to make sure that physicians who are in Medicare have an incentive to stay in Medicare, so changing the reimbursement formula so that they're not fighting over every nickel and dime and staring big cuts in the face," he says.
Johnson also wants any plan phased in gradually enough to allow more doctors to be licensed and trained and more grant money to encourage students to go into primary care medicine.
But, seniors we talked to say a doctor shortage isn't just a concern for them.
"My time is just about over and that's just too bad because that's who's going to have to pay for these things are our children and grandchildren," Backelman says.
