I saw this article by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Politco decrying the shortage of primary care medical providers.

Where is this shortage of primary care providers?  No one is hiring primary care physicians, physician assistants or nurse practitioners unless they have two years experience.  If there were a shortage, even new graduates would be getting job offers.  In this current job market, all employers are sitting on their hands regardless if they are expanding a factory or health care.

I think the shortage is based on government statistics not market research.  A number cruncher does a calculation based on census numbers of medical providers by job type and makes assumptions based on the population as a whole.  But the reality is that those organizations that hire primary care providers don't see the profit in adding more providers unless they see a sure thing about reimbursement over the foreseeable future.  Most health care in the US is done by very small medical practices.  The small practitioner is a conservative small business person who sees only risk in adding a person who doesn't bring their own group of patients with them.  The larger organization isn't seeing the market demand either.  The government is in sequestration so they aren't expanding hiring either. 

The Affordable Health Care Act is a good thing in the long run.  But, everyone who could hire, isn't doing much of it.  I think there is too much uncertainty in the market.  Unless the economy starts expanding, Obamacare administrators start setting down a firm set of rules, or sequestration ends, not much is going to change I am afraid.