LocumTenens.com Finds Psychiatrists are Neutral on Universal ...( Average psyc...),Health

Average psychiatrist salary increased for 60 percent of survey respondents.

Alpharetta, Ga. (PRWEB) November 6, 2008 -- Recent research by physician recruiting firm LocumTenens.com indicates that among the medical specialists the firm places, many psychiatrists think they might have the least to lose if universal healthcare coverage is implemented under the incoming Administration.

In its 2008 psychiatrist salary survey, LocumTenens.com asked how psychiatrists thought universal healthcare would affect their personal incomes. Among almost 200 respondents, more than half (56 percent) predicted universal healthcare would have no effect on their incomes. While, 21 percent predicted a negative effect, another 23 percent said universal healthcare would affect their incomes 'positively.'

Earlier this year when LocumTenens.com asked psychiatrists what they thought was the best solution for U.S. healthcare reform, 42 percent selected, "Implement universal healthcare insurance coverage with single-payer reimbursement." Only 18 percent of anesthesiologist, general surgeon and radiologist respondents selected the single-payer approach, while 29 percent selected a tax-credit approach (compared to 13% of psychiatrists). Twenty-four percent (24%) selected universal healthcare coverage with multi-payer reimbursement (compared to 27% of psychiatrists). Only four percent of psychiatrists and less than six percent of the latter group preferred to "leave the current system place."

"Psychiatrists have to deal with many different sets of payer rules about mental healthcare coverage today," LocumTenens.com Executive Vice President Michael Davis said. "Many of them probably think universal health
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