What's the problem: There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about the Affordable Care Act and its effects on the healthcare industry in the United States. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) “Will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and create the transformation within the health care system needed to contain costs” (detailed summary of the Affordable Care Act , na). However, it is unclear what these transformations are and how they will affect the healthcare system, particularly GPs. GPs are the pillars of the healthcare system for patients. They act as a link between families and medical specialists. Primary care physicians provide a variety of patient care services that involve multiple skills. They are responsible for diagnosing the patient and managing the treatment plan. As a result of the recently implemented Affordable Care Act and the current shortage of primary care physicians “The primary care physician is a rapidly evolving species – and may become endangered in the future” (Okie, 2012). Before the ACA was implemented, there was already a shortage of primary care physicians. It is important to note that most Americans use or see a primary care physician. “An analysis of projected supply and demand for physicians conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2008 predicts a total shortage of the entire workforce. Particularly evident is the projected deficit in non-primary subspecialties, with a shortage of 35,000 surgeons and 27,000 medical specialists by 2020” (AAMC, 2014). According to the National ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2010), 55.5% of patients do...... half of the document ......w-to-beat-doctor-shortage.htmlNational ambulatory medical care Survey: 2010 Summary tables. (2010). In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from ttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/namcs_summary/2010_namcs_web_tables.pdfOkie, S. (2012, May 17). The evolving general practitioner. In New England Journal of Medicine. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1014419556/fulltextPDF?accountid=13158The Changing Physician Environment. (2003, June). In the trend watch. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.aha.org/research/reports/tw/tw2003vol5no1.pdfDetailed Summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (n.d.). In the center of democratic politics and communication. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://www.dpc.senate.gov/healthreformbill/healthbill04.pdf