This is an artificially created shortage. The number of doctors entering the system every year is limited by the number of residency spots. Because resident sa

This is an artificially created shortage. The number of doctors entering the system every year is limited by the number of residency spots. Because resident salaries are paid for by the CMS Medicaid fund, the number of residency spots are therefore limited by how many spots the American Medical Association is able to negotiate with Congress. Congress needs to increase funding to residencies so they can do a better job of keeping up with demand for doctors. Thankfully, this is being worked on: "The number of residency positions has increased only 1% a year, far lower than the 52% growth in medical school spots since 2002, the AAMC said. Federally supported residency training slots have been capped by Congress for more than 20 years, limiting the spots for medical school graduates to undergo additional training in a residency program before they can practice medicine. To increase the supply of doctors in the U.S., the AAMC supports a multipronged approach, including passage of legislation by Congress that would provide a modest but critical increase in the number of federally supported graduate medical education positions. A bill, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019, is awaiting action in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It would gradually provide 15,000 Medicare-supported residency positions over a five-year period starting in 2021."