Survey: In change of heart, most doctors now favor single payer

General internist- General internists are physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. They provide care mainly for adults who have a wide range of problems associated with the internal organs. Arkansas Average annual pay: $266,980 less General internist- General internists are physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. They provide care mainly for adults who have a wide range ... more Photo: Momentimages/Getty Images/Tetra Images RF Photo: Momentimages/Getty Images/Tetra Images RF Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Survey: In change of heart, most doctors now favor single payer 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A majority of doctors nationwide now support a single-payer health care system -- an almost exact reversal of their stance nine years ago.

Fifty-six percent of the 1,033 physicians who responded to the Aug. 3 Merritt Hawkins survey said they either strongly supported or somewhat supported a single-payer system.

That compares with 58 percent of physicians who, in 2008, said they opposed such a system. Back then only 42 percent supported the concept.

The survey findings were released Monday,

The stark turnaround took many by surprise on Monday as doctors have often been among the most outspoken critics of single-payer health care, in which the government, rather than private insurers, pay for health care costs.

"I expected it would go the other way. We've always heard the opposite," admitted Phillip Miller, vice president of communications for Merritt Hawkins, one of the nation's leading physician search firms that often surveys doctors on their practices and opinions about the health care climate.

The one-question survey asked "What is your position on single payer healthcare?" It was emailed to 70,000 nationwide across all specialties. Miller said the survey was purposely held to one question to measure gut reaction and did not delve into how such a system would work or be paid for.

In the latest survey, 35 percent of respondents said they strongly opposed single-payer system while six percent said they somewhat opposed it. The margin of error was 3.1 percent. Three percent of physicians said they did not support or oppose the system.

Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University's Bakes Institute for Public Policy, also expressed surprise at the findings. But she said the administrative burdens, both from federal program changes and narrowing private insurance markets, have taken a toll on doctors. She suspected many, especially those in small practices, may now be turning toward what they hope would be an easier system to navigate.

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While Miller said the survey did not ask for reasons behind the replies, he also suspects a growing weariness among doctors, especially amid the current uncertainty coming out of Washington D.C. about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

"Physicians are seeking some sort of clarity and support in which way the health system is going," Miller said, "Doctors, like everyone else, have been living on a yo-yo."

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Dr. Deane Waldman, a retired cardiologist and director for the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said Monday that he, too, thinks the nation's doctors may be changing previous positions out of desperation.

While he cautions against a single-payer system, which he believes will add even more regulation and bureaucracy, he understands why doctors may be changing their tune.

"They are just looking for relief," Waldman said of the politics coming out of Washington DC surrounding health care, "The uncertainty has had a huge effect on physicians. It scares doctor but it absolutely terrifies patients."

The new Merritt Hawkins findings are not dissimilar to a LinkedIn study earlier this year that found 48 percent of the 500 doctors surveyed said they would support a single-payer system if it provided health insurance to everyone.