How much should doctors make?

[atlasshrugged]

If you are going into medicine because of the potential money you will make you are in it for the wrong reason.

I hear this all the time and I agree with the statement to some degree. I don't want to become a doctor because they make loads of money. If money was my passion I would become a businessman. But often people use your statement as some messed up way of arguing why doctors should be paid less. I don't need the paycheck in order to convince me to be a doctor, I need it to make 10 years of hard work worth the effort.

You can say that doctors should choose their profession because they want to help people, but I'd much rather have a competent doctor than a lousy doctor with good intentions.

 

[LoneLaugher]

If you are going into medicine because of the potential money you will make you are in it for the wrong reason.

I hear this all the time and I agree with the statement to some degree. I don't want to become a doctor because they make loads of money. If money was my passion I would become a businessman. But often people use your statement as some messed up way of arguing why doctors should be paid less. I don't need the paycheck in order to convince me to be a doctor, I need it to make 10 years of hard work worth the effort.

You can say that doctors should choose their profession because they want to help people, but I'd much rather have a competent doctor than a lousy doctor with good intentions.

You don't agree at all. You said earlier that you feel you will be providing a "priceless" service. That indicates that you feel you could never be paid enough.

Have you ever researched the lifestyles of doctors in developed countries with single payer health care systems? They do quite well......and as mentioned earlier....don't start out in debt.

You need to be competent AND have good intentions.

 

[atlasshrugged]

If you are going into medicine because of the potential money you will make you are in it for the wrong reason.

I hear this all the time and I agree with the statement to some degree. I don't want to become a doctor because they make loads of money. If money was my passion I would become a businessman. But often people use your statement as some messed up way of arguing why doctors should be paid less. I don't need the paycheck in order to convince me to be a doctor, I need it to make 10 years of hard work worth the effort.

You can say that doctors should choose their profession because they want to help people, but I'd much rather have a competent doctor than a lousy doctor with good intentions.

You don't agree at all. You said earlier that you feel you will be providing a "priceless" service. That indicates that you feel you could never be paid enough.

Have you ever researched the lifestyles of doctors in developed countries with single payer health care systems? They do quite well......and as mentioned earlier....don't start out in debt.

You need to be competent AND have good intentions.

When I said "priceless service," I was referring to the perspective of the patient. Would there be a dollar value you could put to your life?

And I've looked into single payer systems. The only way it works is if people pay more taxes or if the government puts restrictions on medicine (either on how much they can charge or what procedures they can do). I simply don't think that the American government can be trusted with such a large task. I will point to Medicare and Medicaid as prime examples of this. Too much bureaucracy and red tape. Too many middle men. Too much incentive for corrupt doctors and hospitals to exaggerate the value of services provided.

 

[Polk]

No, I don't think most people would place a dollar value on their life, which is why the idea that a completely open market will solve health care costs is sheer lunacy.

 

[Katzndogz]

Medical care will become exactly like veterinary care with the government acting as the owner.

 

[uscitizen]

No, I don't think most people would place a dollar value on their life, which is why the idea that a completely open market will solve health care costs is sheer lunacy.

Malpractice tort reform is exactly that placing a dollar value on ones life.

 

[CMike]

As was already state they should make what the market says they should make.

The question is irrelevant in a free society.

 

[Two Thumbs]

I'm an undergrad student planning on going to medical school in 2014. Naturally, I'm heavily interested in new developments connected to the American Healthcare Act. I have a few fears about government healthcare. I'm mostly hesitant because of the expansion of Medicaid to millions of people. It's a system with more paper pushers than providers and it's a pain in the rear for any actual healthcare to get done. But that's a topic for another day. A long term fear of mine stems from the general idea of the government getting a stranglehold on the largest sector of American business.

With our current system, almost all of us feel that hospitals and insurance companies have far too much control over our health and our wallets. We can get almost any test or procedure done, but it will cost us. But what will happen if the government plays a larger role in deciding what tests and and procedures are approved? They must either deny more procedures or they must decrease how much they reimburse physicians. I'd bet a large amount of money that politicians will side with the latter of those options in hopes of gaining more votes.

This leads into my ultimate question. How much should a physician make each year? What about a radiologist or a heart surgeon? Brain surgeons?

Tell me what you think. If you disagree with my earlier assumptions, that's fine too.

All their loans should be forgiven, then earn minimum wage.

It's only fair, after all, we will be paying your wage, and I know the liberals wouldn't want to put any burden on poor people by making them have to cough up one red cent.






my real answer;

Doctors should have every chance to get rich or they could do like that one doc that was in the news not long ago and charge $5 for any visit anytime.

 

[atlasshrugged]

No, I don't think most people would place a dollar value on their life, which is why the idea that a completely open market will solve health care costs is sheer lunacy.

I don't see how you can draw that conclusion. Yes, life is priceless, but if someone needs healthcare that costs millions of dollars, who pays for it? People can say that their life is the most important thing to them, but when people buy ipods before insurance, it sure doesn't seem like it.

 

[uscitizen]

As was already state they should make what the market says they should make.

The question is irrelevant in a free society.

Should the price be variable from one customer to the next?

Too bad Gas stations are not that way or food markets or bars.

 

[Two Thumbs]

As was already state they should make what the market says they should make.

The question is irrelevant in a free society.

Should the price be variable from one customer to the next?

Too bad Gas stations are not that way or food markets or bars.

 

[Politico]

The same as any other occupation. As much as you can.

 

[Polk]

No, I don't think most people would place a dollar value on their life, which is why the idea that a completely open market will solve health care costs is sheer lunacy.

I don't see how you can draw that conclusion. Yes, life is priceless, but if someone needs healthcare that costs millions of dollars, who pays for it? People can say that their life is the most important thing to them, but when people buy ipods before insurance, it sure doesn't seem like it.

Because the amount owed after insurance is so huge anyway that it's not entirely rational to pay the very high cost of individual insurance.

 

[Aristotle]

Specialty doctors make more. However if your an ER doctor in California you can make anywhere between 8-$10k a month

 

[atlasshrugged]

No, I don't think most people would place a dollar value on their life, which is why the idea that a completely open market will solve health care costs is sheer lunacy.

I don't see how you can draw that conclusion. Yes, life is priceless, but if someone needs healthcare that costs millions of dollars, who pays for it? People can say that their life is the most important thing to them, but when people buy ipods before insurance, it sure doesn't seem like it.

Because the amount owed after insurance is so huge anyway that it's not entirely rational to pay the very high cost of individual insurance.

It seems pretty rational to me. You may have to file for bankruptcy in both cases, but if you have insurance then the hospital will approve the procedure and you'll live. That's why you have insurance.

 

[Greenbeard]

With our current system, almost all of us feel that hospitals and insurance companies have far too much control over our health and our wallets. We can get almost any test or procedure done, but it will cost us. But what will happen if the government plays a larger role in deciding what tests and and procedures are approved? They must either deny more procedures or they must decrease how much they reimburse physicians. I'd bet a large amount of money that politicians will side with the latter of those options in hopes of gaining more votes.

This leads into my ultimate question. How much should a physician make each year? What about a radiologist or a heart surgeon? Brain surgeons?

Baked into the question is a certain world view that you'll find is beginning to slip away. Though I'm not sure how much doctors have realized that yet. You're conceptualizing a year's pay in terms of the volume of services provided (multiplied through by whatever the payers are reimbursing for those services). But service volume isn't a proxy for health, which presumably is the output good customers are seeking from you. Greater volume could even be unhealthy or perhaps have no impact on health outcomes. But it does impact your bottom line.

That's not good.

What you're going to see more of in the future is pay explicitly linked to performance; providers are increasingly going to be held accountable for the costs and quality of the care they provide. The days of just providing an endless stream of services and sending in the bills for them seem, mercifully, to be entering their final phase. There's a future on the horizon where your pay depends on how well you, not just how much you do. And the ACA represents the early stages of that transition.

Just for reference, residents are typically paid. The pay isn't great (in the 30k-50k a year range, IIRC), but it's not free work.

And where does that money come from? Uncle Sam!

 

[The Professor]

I hope this link helps>

Profiles - 2011 - 2012 Physician Salary Survey

 

[Obamanation]

After reading all this I am begining to understand why there are so many more conservative doctors than liberal doctors.

I've been in medical imaging for over 20 years. There is no question that health care needs reform. Every case study I have seen shows the cost of insurance exceeding median salaries within the next 30 years (even ACA projections don't change that). Obviously this can not continue.

I have worked closely with ER Docs and Radiologists and have called quite a few of them friends over the time. I know what they put into becoming Doctors. The thing I think most people overlook when valuing the service is the amount of time and effort they have to put into becoming Doctors, not to mention the hours and call they are forced to tolerate once in their field.

Some specialty fields can take nearly 15 years of education (Radiologists for example). These guys work hard for 12-13 years - not having time for family, friends, or personal interests. Then they finally get out at 31 years of age and they are a half a million in debt. They are also still low man on the totem pole. ---- Just to contrast with me - I learned X-ray in the Army, rose quickly to middle management - lived relatively free to spend time with my family, friends, and interests --- and had made a half a million dollars in the same amount of time it take a Radiologist to become half a mil in debt...

I have great respect for Doctors, and when I hear of ER Docs making 120K a year - I am disgusted! I am now 43 Some of the Docs I work with are younger than I am. They work their butts off to pay off their debt. My house is almost paid for - my kids are nearly out of the house (theirs are just starting to go to school) --- In 5 years time, I'm 48 --- and that Doctor is 43 --- yet I have MORE disposable income than him? After everything he put into his career....

Well, we are beginning to see the trend already from the ACA - fewer people going into medicine -- more Physicians Assistants and Nurse Practioners - they may lower the quality of care but they lower the cost too... The really bright kids are going into different fields now instead of becoming Neurologists and Cardiologists -- that will leave slots open for less qualified people. We are starting to see Docs retire from medicine in their 50s because they know they won't make their retirement goals in medicine now. They are going into businesses. Smaller communities struggle to find enough Doctors - and in those communities many Doctors won't even see medicare patients because reimbursement is already so low they can barely cover overhead and red-tape is so thick they have to increase staff to cut through it --- and we haven't even began to see the red-tape as a result of Obama's death panels yet.

Yeah buddy, know that I will respect the crap out of you if you do indeed become a Doctor - but I'm begging you now, for your sake, RUN AWAY!!!! Take the easy road and become an MRI tech - work 5-8s with no call and do something productive with your money. Get married and have kids while you are young! Look around at those Docs in their 40s just starting to make a little money while you are preparing to ride into the sunset with your paid off house and kids arleady grown...

Pretty sad story when the slackers like me make off like a bandit while those hard working guys struggle to get on top -- missing the really important stuff like football games and graduations...

Whatever you decide, I'm saying a prayer for you right now that you get to appreciate the good things in life - that you love and are loved and that the peace of the Lord finds your soul.

 

[Obamanation]

I hope this link helps>

Profiles - 2011 - 2012 Physician Salary Survey

I'd sure like to see that broken up geographically. I know a dozen GPs who would love to be making 200K! (general practioners/family med)

 

[LilOlLady]

They should not be able to steal from MEdicare by billing them$350 for a 10 minute routine office visit. Medical supply companies charege medicare $10,000 for power chair that can be bought direct for $3.000.