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> ... gets an extraordinary result from a collection of ordinary people Of course doctors are ordinary people. The ones that become doctors these days aren't e

> ... gets an extraordinary result from a collection of ordinary people Of course doctors are ordinary people. The ones that become doctors these days aren't even the brightest in school -- those go into STEM or, god forbid, finance. But if they are ordinary people why are they paid like the superhuman healers that they aren't and still hold themselves as such?

chimeracoder 9y ago
> But if they are ordinary people why are they paid like the superhuman healers that they aren't and still hold themselves as such? They're not. The lifetime after-tax expected earnings of a person entering medical school today, after work and operating expenses are taken into account, is probably a lot less than the equivalent figure for the average Hacker News reader. Doctors make nowhere near as much money as people think they do, and that incorrect perception is based on stereotypes that haven't been true for decades.
- pishpash 9y ago
  I speak of labor cost, so don't include student debt, delayed employment due to training, and taxes as they are kind of irrelevant. Malpractice insurance counts, not sure what other "work and operating expenses" are unique to doctors.
OliverJones 9y ago
Many doctors I know opt to work for a practice association and draw a salary, typically in the very low six figures. Why? Their association handles all the huge pain in the neck CYA stuff like electronic medical records, triage, insurance and Medicare billing, malpractice risk management, scheduling. From the practioners' point of view, especially for those who care for people over 65, socialized medicine has already arrived in the US. The rules around care and reimbursement are rigid. You'll get an occasional congresscritter who used to be an obstetrician or dentist claiming it isn't so. But those specialties don't have to try to get paid by Medicare.

chimeracoder 9y ago

> But if they are ordinary people why are they paid like the superhuman healers that they aren't and still hold themselves as such? They're not. The lifetime after-tax expected earnings of a person entering medical school today, after work and operating expenses are taken into account, is probably a lot less than the equivalent figure for the average Hacker News reader. Doctors make nowhere near as much money as people think they do, and that incorrect perception is based on stereotypes that haven't been true for decades.

pishpash 9y ago
I speak of labor cost, so don't include student debt, delayed employment due to training, and taxes as they are kind of irrelevant. Malpractice insurance counts, not sure what other "work and operating expenses" are unique to doctors.

OliverJones 9y ago

Many doctors I know opt to work for a practice association and draw a salary, typically in the very low six figures. Why? Their association handles all the huge pain in the neck CYA stuff like electronic medical records, triage, insurance and Medicare billing, malpractice risk management, scheduling. From the practioners' point of view, especially for those who care for people over 65, socialized medicine has already arrived in the US. The rules around care and reimbursement are rigid. You'll get an occasional congresscritter who used to be an obstetrician or dentist claiming it isn't so. But those specialties don't have to try to get paid by Medicare.