As I’ve often said, topics for editorials come in all shapes and sizes — figuratively and literally.

And they can come from all over country.

I continually get letters and comments from not only Oakland County readers but also many former residents who have retired and moved out of state.

For example, one retiree in Arizona wrote of a situation she found herself in that is very scary and unfortunately, probably is a sign of things to come for many of us.
She has been in very good health but finally gave in and decided to see a doctor because her cold seemed to be getting worse than better.
She was shocked to learn that many doctors in Arizona don’t even want to look at you if you have Medicare for health coverage. She also has a Blue Cross supplement but that wasn’t enough for a number of physicians.
The doctors wanted lump sums of $1,500 or more just to see her and then every bill had to be paid upfront.

It’s not a pleasant situation, to say the least, and it probably will get worse.
There are numerous causes but one is the doctor shortage. Physicians are being over burdened with too many patients and the shortage will only worsen as doctors retire.
I’m not alone when I say this.

The reputable Remapping Debate website reports that the U.S. has failed to increase medical school or residency slots significantly in recent years. So — with a still growing and fast-aging patient population and an impending wave of physician retirements — the U.S. is poised to suffer even more serious physician shortages in the next decade, with estimates ranging from 90,000 to 200,000 fewer doctors than will be needed.

Also, for some other interesting facts, as of September 2009, at least 80 million Americans lived in areas with a shortage of medical practitioners in at least one field, according the Health Resources and Services Administration. Many of those areas have a lack of access to primary care doctors, dentists, or mental health professionals. In 2006, 30 percent of U.S. counties lacked a single surgeon, according to the American College of Surgeons. Shortages have also been reported in several other health fields in recent years, including pediatrics, radiology, and endocrinology.

Additionally, a 2009 survey by the health care consulting firm Merritt Hawkins showed that — even in more than a dozen cities with high physician-to-population ratios — physician appointment wait times had risen considerably, and across a number of specialties, since 2005.

Yes, the topics are many and the debate is heated. From health care in general to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid in specific, these issues are now brewing and will undoubtedly keep bubbling over in intense debate for years to come.
We’ll write about some issues involving these topics but the list will just grow as will the problems associated with them.

We editorialize about topics when we believe we can make a relatively logical argument for or against an issue. Yes, many people will contest this statement and say we write too many illogical pieces.

But the point is that the issues are many while the space is limited. The editorials are basically opinions and the topics we write about are judgment calls. We can’t please everyone and many people often disagree with our stand on an issue, but hey, as I’ve said before and will undoubtedly remind you in the future, that’s why it’s called the Opinion Page.