PPP supporter and leader, Marsha Haley, MD, gave her perspective to Becker’s Physician Leadership about the biggest threats to physicians in 2026.
“We have a shortage of physicians that is expected to worsen in the foreseeable future, particularly in rural areas. This is due to several factors — the need for physicians outpacing the supply, a shortage of residency positions, a lack of incentives for physicians to practice in rural areas, declining reimbursement in a setting of massive student loan debt, hostile malpractice environments and burnout.
“The biggest threat to physicians is allowing these issues to continue and, in many cases, worsen. State-level policies have exacerbated the problems by passing scope of practice legislation allowing physicians to be replaced by nonphysician practitioners, enabling overly restrictive noncompete clauses and allowing abusive malpractice conditions.”
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