The case for seeing a nurse instead of a doctor

America is changing—it's getting grayer, fatter, and more medicated. But luckily, it's also getting a lot more insured. A few days ago, the Obama administration announced that eight million people signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but that's just the beginning. Partly as a result of the ACA's expansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, Medicaid enrollment is projected to grow by 11 or 12 million each year until 2024. So who is going to treat these people? There's no way to know how doctors will respond to the surge in demand. Some pundits are predicting bread lines for biopsies, particularly in areas that already face a shortage of doctors.