Thursday, October 1, 2009

For those of you looking for a nation with universal coverage without the dreaded public option, read this NYT article about Switzerland

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4 comments:

jbeslity11 said...

Except their system makes it impossible for doctors to make the kind of money that they're accustomed to making here. That kind of system here will lead to drops in medical school enrollment at a time when we need more doctors, particulary primary care phyicans (who make much less than medical specialists as it is). For the amount of time doctors spend in medical school, they generally deserve the pay they are used to here.

October 1, 2009 at 3:10 PM
evan said...

If doctors being forced to practice responsible medicine makes them go broke, that's okay with me.

There's no reason to put everyone who bangs his or her head through an MRI. Or to prescribe anyone with a stomach ache an antibiotic.

Furthermore, do we have any evidence that doctors are being properly compensated for their services? Insurance is so monopolized in many states that it's basically "ketchup economics" when trying to determine price levels.

October 1, 2009 at 3:28 PM
jbeslity11 said...

Well, then I guess we just won't have any doctors. I don't know any medical students excited about spending 7+ years in school and not having the potential to make mid to high six figures.

And as far as MRI's go, I agree; there are certainly people who get them and similar preventative treatments that don't need them. But as someone who owes his life to an MRI that I "didn't need", I have to say that I support more preventative treatment as opposed to less.

October 1, 2009 at 3:38 PM
evan said...

I think, James, you're fooling yourself about doctor compensation.

Very few doctors make "mid to high six figures." The average salary for a doctor ranges from about $138,000 to $321,000. Certainly this is a good salary, but it means that the average doctor's entry-level salary probably doesn't crack $150,000. You don't become a doctor with the expectation that you'll be earning $500,000 per year.

And I'm not saying all MRI's are unnecessary but they're an expensive treatment that on balance we overutilize. My sister got a concussion. She had a CT scan because it was a really bad concussion and they wanted to guarantee that there was no bleeding on the brain. But she also had an MRI, "just to be safe," even though her attending physician thought it was unnecessary. (An administrator overruled the attending.) From the CT scan and physical checks they knew she was fine, but she took a $3000+ test anyway. And since we never see the cost due to insurance, it's very easy to convince a family it's necessary.

Even when it isn't.

October 1, 2009 at 3:51 PM

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