Idaho needs doctors. But many don't want to come. What that means for patients

BOISE, Idaho -- You’ve seen the headlines before: Idaho has a shortage of physicians. But just how short are we?

Idaho ranks at the bottom of all 50 states for its supply of doctors per capita. Even in areas of the state with high population density, such as the Boise area, patients often face months-long wait times to see primary care physicians, even though most providers are already concentrated in the those places.

And a slew of factors threatens to make matters worse.

Saltzer Health, a medical group with 11 clinics in the Treasure Valley, announced mid-January that it would close completely by the end of March absent a last-minute sale, prompting new worries that access to health care in the fast-growing region is deteriorating. Saltzer sees about 100,000 patients a year, including over 35,000 primary-care patients, Dr. Erik Richardson, associate medical director of family medicine at Saltzer, told the Statesman.

In late February, a new report revealed that dozens of Idaho’s obstetricians have stopped practicing in the state since Idaho’s abortion law took effect in August 2022.

Policy decisions, like Idaho’s strict abortion ban, have had a “chilling effect” on recruitment and retention of the state’s already slim body of physicians, the impacts of which are felt beyond the health care industry, says Dr. Edward McEachern, a general internist, pathologist and health services researcher. McEachern retired in January, and now works at Boise State University as a distinguished scholar in residence.

Brian Whitlock, president of the Idaho Hospital Association, told the Statesman he recently spoke with a hospital CEO who explained how a physician the hospital was recruiting for its emergency room “declined the offer, saying he was not willing to come to a state that criminalizes physicians.”

“And that is starting to become a pretty common response from people who say, ‘No, I’m not coming to Idaho to practice medicine,’” Whitlock said by phone.

Abortion law threatens criminal charges

Idaho’s abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the country, has been the catalyst for an exodus of reproductive health providers from the state.

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