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Just let foreign doctors practice in US. Bam! Problem solved. I don't care how much you overpaid for your education, all I see is that I am being charged 300% o

Just let foreign doctors practice in US. Bam! Problem solved. I don't care how much you overpaid for your education, all I see is that I am being charged 300% of what a Japanese patient would have paid for an absolutely identical MRI scan.

yummyfajitas 16y ago
Japanese MRI scans are not identical. A typical japanese MRI operates at 0.25-0.5 Tesla. In the US, we operate at 1-2 Tesla and get significantly better resolution. The japanese love medically unnecessary scans the same way americans love medically unnecessary pills (antibiotics for viruses, etc). This created demand for cheap, low quality MRIs.
starkfist 16y ago
We do let foreign doctors practice in the US. If you go to rural areas in the USA, over 50% of the doctors are foreigners on J-1 visas, because you can't get Americans to practice in those areas.
- geebee 16y ago
  This is a little off topic, but I really don't like policies based on the phrase "we can't get Americans to ____, so we need to create a visa where foreigners are allowed to live in the US and apply for citizenship provided they spend __ years doing ____" If you can't get Americans to do this, that's because it's a crap deal. And it's not going to become a better deal if you can indenture workers to do it instead - in fact, these policies virtually guarantee that nobody with choice will ever want to do this job. Btw, I'm alright with foreign doctors coming to the US, I'm just opposed to these conditional immigration programs. Everyone who participates in the US economy should be free to make their own choices.
  - pyre 16y ago
    It doesn't necessarily mean it's a 'crap deal.' It just means that it's a 'crap deal' by comparison to other opportunities out there. I'm sure being a doctor in a rural area is a 'better deal' than a lot of other jobs out there that Americans do.
  - starkfist 16y ago
    These jobs are three year contracts at six figures a year. A GP from Pakistan can make $170k base + extra for o.b. or ER on-call. This is in an area of the country where you can buy a suitable home for $80k or a doctor's mansion for $200k. It's not a crap deal, there is no preference for foreign workers, the pay is the same. it's that American doctors really won't do it. It's not really a problem, the small town I grew up in liked having the international diversity. Without the J1 there wouldn't have been a decent Kid's soccer coach, either.
redrobot5050 16y ago
You realize that outside of China's top 5 hospitals, when a Doctor from China comes here to practice, they have to repeat their residency before they can be licensed? Because the majority of Chinese doctors are no better than made-in-china toothpaste.
- eru 16y ago
  How good is `made-in-china toothpaste'? Do you even get it outside of China?
  - redrobot5050 16y ago
    Yeah, it turns out to be the Dollar Store/Old Folks Home brand that contained Anti-Freeze and killed people.

yummyfajitas 16y ago

Japanese MRI scans are not identical. A typical japanese MRI operates at 0.25-0.5 Tesla. In the US, we operate at 1-2 Tesla and get significantly better resolution. The japanese love medically unnecessary scans the same way americans love medically unnecessary pills (antibiotics for viruses, etc). This created demand for cheap, low quality MRIs.

starkfist 16y ago

We do let foreign doctors practice in the US. If you go to rural areas in the USA, over 50% of the doctors are foreigners on J-1 visas, because you can't get Americans to practice in those areas.

geebee 16y ago
This is a little off topic, but I really don't like policies based on the phrase "we can't get Americans to ____, so we need to create a visa where foreigners are allowed to live in the US and apply for citizenship provided they spend __ years doing ____" If you can't get Americans to do this, that's because it's a crap deal. And it's not going to become a better deal if you can indenture workers to do it instead - in fact, these policies virtually guarantee that nobody with choice will ever want to do this job. Btw, I'm alright with foreign doctors coming to the US, I'm just opposed to these conditional immigration programs. Everyone who participates in the US economy should be free to make their own choices.
- pyre 16y ago
  It doesn't necessarily mean it's a 'crap deal.' It just means that it's a 'crap deal' by comparison to other opportunities out there. I'm sure being a doctor in a rural area is a 'better deal' than a lot of other jobs out there that Americans do.
- starkfist 16y ago
  These jobs are three year contracts at six figures a year. A GP from Pakistan can make $170k base + extra for o.b. or ER on-call. This is in an area of the country where you can buy a suitable home for $80k or a doctor's mansion for $200k. It's not a crap deal, there is no preference for foreign workers, the pay is the same. it's that American doctors really won't do it. It's not really a problem, the small town I grew up in liked having the international diversity. Without the J1 there wouldn't have been a decent Kid's soccer coach, either.

redrobot5050 16y ago

You realize that outside of China's top 5 hospitals, when a Doctor from China comes here to practice, they have to repeat their residency before they can be licensed? Because the majority of Chinese doctors are no better than made-in-china toothpaste.

eru 16y ago
How good is `made-in-china toothpaste'? Do you even get it outside of China?
- redrobot5050 16y ago
  Yeah, it turns out to be the Dollar Store/Old Folks Home brand that contained Anti-Freeze and killed people.