Plastic and reconstructive surgeons' views of a single payer health care system: Implications for patients and...

Rising health care costs and the high number of uninsured Americans has led to the increasing popularity of a single payer alternative. While opinions of physicians at large have been studied, we present the first data examining the views of United States (U.S.) board-certified plastic surgeons on a single payer health care system and its implications for patients and practice.

A total of 3,431 US plastic and reconstructive surgeons were sent a 25-item Qualtrics survey and responses collected from September 1 to November 1, 2019. Independent variables included surgeon sociodemographic characteristics. The association between these and a preference for a single payer was evaluated using the logistic regression.

There was a 11% response rate (n = 383). The majority of respondents were in private practice (64.5%). Forty-four percent believed that it is the government's responsibility to ensure care is provided for all; 34% were willing to give up income in exchange for reduced paperwork and administrative burden. Sixty-three percent would not work the same number of hours under single payer. Private practice plastic surgeons were significantly less likely to favor single payer (95% CI: 0.19 and 0.76). Among academic plastic surgeons, 24% would consider leaving if single payer were enacted and 60% would decrease the reconstructive portion of their practice.

Most U.S. plastic and reconstructive surgeons do not support a single payer health care system. Its enactment could have sweeping implications for plastic surgeons nationwide, among the most significant being a shift from academic to private practice with a potential reduction in patient access to complex reconstructive procedures.