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One issue that's talked about less frequently is how high US doctor incomes are compared to other countries. The average doctor in Japan made ~$105,000 USD [1]
by tdfx 7y ago
One issue that's talked about less frequently is how high US doctor incomes are compared to other countries. The average doctor in Japan made ~$105,000 USD [1] in 2014, whereas in the US the average primary care doctor made $195,000 and the average specialist made $284,000 [2]. Anecdotally, I had an eye infection in Mexico and was seen by an ophthalmologist the same day for an $8 consult fee and treated with antibiotics that cost $20, using the exact same techniques and equipment that would have cost me hundreds of dollars in the US.
We're paying our doctors sometimes double what they make in other countries and receiving inferior health outcomes. It's easy to vilify the AMA but our doctors also have an unusually high amount of risk and obligation when it comes to malpractice, which wouldn't go away if everyone magically was on Medicare For All tomorrow.
To reduce health care costs, someone needs to get squeezed... but who? Reducing doctor salaries will lead to a shortage of doctors unless there's some additional action on easing the education burden they presently have to take on.
[1] http://nbakki.hatenablog.com/entry/Annual_Salary_by_Occupation http://nbakki.hatenablog.com/entry/Annual_Salary_by_Occupati... (2014)
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-salary-does-a-doctor-make-2015-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-salary-does-a-docto... (2014)
- assblaster 7y agoHealthcare admin jobs should be drastically curtailed.
- IG_Semmelweiss 7y agoin the US, you are allowed to buy a ferrari or a geo. in mexico, they only make geos. So prices reflect that. in the US, you are only allowed to supply healthcare if you buy into $500,000 of loans and give up 6 years of your life. The AMA and government have mandated it to be so. That's the price of a ferrari. US Medical salaries reflect that medical ferrari
- lenkite 7y agoThe AMA most certainly needs to be vilified. It actively lobbied to limit the number of residency slots thus leading to doctor shortage and higher prices. It even indulged in price-fixing and opposed retail clinics that could offer competitive pricing. https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust-2013/special-deal/ https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust-2013/speci... https://mises.org/library/how-government-helped-create-coming-doctor-shortage https://mises.org/library/how-government-helped-create-comin... https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/thanks-to-doctors-there-arent-enough-doctors https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/thanks-to-doctors-there-a...
- conductr 7y agoI’d argue part of the cost of healthcare should be educating and training doctors. So there is control over number of doctors. Best way to reduce their salaries is increasing supply.