Trump's claim of fleeing doctors rings false [View all]

Making the case for a Republican repeal and replacement of his predecessor's health care law, President Donald Trump reached for a dire-sounding argument that's unsupported by the data.

"Many of our best and brightest are leaving the medical profession entirely because of Obamacare," Trump told his audience at a Monday night rally in Louisville, Kentucky.

In fact, the number of doctors in the U.S. actively caring for patients grew from 799,501 in 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, to 860,939 in 2015, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The American College of Physicians, which represents internists, the largest specialty, says its enrollment of new doctors has increased every year since 2012. The American Academy of Family Physicians has seen its membership grow from 94,620 to 124,900 since 2008.

While there are anecdotes about doctors dropping out, "we see no significant number exiting related to the Affordable Care Act," said Dr. Atul Grover, executive vice president of the medical colleges association. "There is also no evidence of a declining interest in medicine since the ACA took effect."

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