Doctors are as politically divided as the rest of the country—a fact that hits home with President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former physician Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as the new secretary of health and human services (HHS).

Tom Price
Tom Price

Doctors are about evenly split when it comes to the former surgeon-turned-congressman, according to an online survey (PDF) of 1,094 physicians. The poll by Merritt Hawkins, a physician search firm, found that 46% of doctors were positive about the Price appointment, while 42% felt negative and 12% neutral.

The survey also found many doctors believe Price will improve conditions for physicians but that Price, who favors the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, will detract from patient access to care.

Price’s appointment, which must be approved by Congress, has been controversial from the start, with liberal-leaning doctors blasting the American Medical Association for its quick endorsement of fellow physician Price.

The survey found 46% of doctors think Price’s appointment will improve medical practice conditions for them. One doctor, Marc Siegel, M.D., writing in The Wall Street Journal, says physicians will be happier than ever if Price is able to dismantle the ACA “in favor of something that will help restore sanity to the healthcare system.” Siegel, a New York City internist and a medical correspondent for conservative Fox News, recounted jumping through hoops to find a radiology service that would accept one patient’s insurance, which was purchased through the ACA’s state exchange, so the man could get a CT scan to check out an irregularity that appeared on his chest X-ray.

Low-quality insurance has an effect on the entire healthcare system and means patients with employer-based insurance have high deductibles and have to pay out of pocket for services, he said. “If much of Obamacare is repealed, there will be room for more choice, competition and cost awareness,” Siegel wrote in his article, which generated over 300 comments, many in disagreement.

Price certainly has his supporters. “Many doctors have high expectations that Dr. Price will rescue them from the burdens of Medicare reporting programs, the swift transition to value-based payments and doctors' growing inability to make a living,” according to a Medscape report.

But Price is a controversial figure. He belongs to a medical association, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, whose unconventional views are likely to raise questions during his confirmation hearings next year, according to McClatchyDC. Critics say the 5,000-member group promotes scientifically discredited theories, including that abortion causes breast cancer and that vaccines can cause serious disabilities such as autism, the report said.