Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
The shortage of doctors is due to the AMA strictly limiting the number of people who are accepted to medical school. This predates the ACA by many years. Here's an article from 2005 about the upcoming doctor shortage:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/...shortage_x.htm
Money quote:
As the article states, the prediction was that baby boomer doctors would be retiring within 10 years. If doctors that are 70 are now retiring, as you say in your post, then that's right on schedule, as they are the last of the pre-baby boomer MDs (Baby Boom years began in 1946)
There are many, many talented men and women who would love to go into the medical profession, but the AMA has huge influence in keeping them out, plus a lot of the cost of training residents is subsidized by the government, which has put caps on how much they pay (yes, those doctors whining about their med school debts are still subsidized by the government).
That said if these docs you know are retiring because they're mad they aren't making as much money as before, good. I'd hate to be a patient to a doctor who is in it only for the money.
Seriously, read the article. It's very informative (even if it is from USA Today) and as I said, predates the ACA by five years. The doctor shortage has NOTHING to do with the ACA, and everything to do with the AMA. |
we are experiencing shortages in many fields, not just medical.
our education system takes a lot of heat, but it's actually doing a good job. however, one of the things that keeps many kids from learning is poverty. it's a circular issue.
kids in lower income households do poorly in school, because of their environment. but to get them out of that environment in future, they need education, so as to break them and future generations out of that cycle.
but, food stamps just got cut. politicians attack welfare programs, won't allow minimum wage increases (well, those who control the purse strings won't allow it), and then we wonder why we don't have enough people for skilled labor positions. so, the working poor continue to get pummelled, and then we complain that we have working poor, and no skilled labor. our conditions and decisions cause the very problems we rail against.