(07-24-2017 02:11 PM)Crebman Wrote: Honestly Ham, I don't know who the "groups" are that are restricting the pool of doctors. I just know that the "Industry" knows that restricting the supply will do exactly what is happening, up the cost on the demand side............and the politicians have their hands out and are helping to keep it that way.
There are smart people in Washington, I can't believe that no one there has had the eureka moment and said, "Hey, you know if we increase the supply, that will likely drive down the cost."
You are in the industry, don't you find it a bit perplexing that NO ONE in any power position ever mentions increasing the supply??
Perplexing yes, but not surprising.
First, we're talking PCPs... not specialists. Doctors by and large have big egos so they don't want more doctors (makes them less special) but they also don't want to do the mundane stuff... and again, by and large they don't... but regulators hold them responsible for all of those things done by their subordinates.
Politicians have spoken for 2 decades now at least about not having enough doctors, but they haven't done anything about it. Sure, there are more med schools, but that doesn't mean there are more practicing primary care physicians.
Like most political things, the money is in the argument, not in the solution. Politicians don't want to solve it because it is a MASSIVE amount of money with direct ties to seniors through CMS, the military through the VA, the poor through medicaid which is the states, but the feds take their stabs at that as well and of course administer the medicaid money... and of course federal employees. IOW, they're already neck deep in perhaps 60% of all of it BEFORE the aca.
The wealthy really don't care. Even if policies started costing $50,000 per year, they'd pay them or self-insure. Do we really think Buffet can't pay for $10mm in lifetime maximum care? or $20mm? or 50mm? He probably pays an MD $500,000 /yr to be on retainer for him and his family.... and then pays the $2500 'no insurance' penalty.
The poor just want care and they can't afford care...
Those are voting blocks.
The middle and upper middle class workers are stuck footing the bill...
and so far, enough people buy into the 'public good' that they don't do the math before they vote or they buy the politicians lies about whom is paying for it.
We've been able to hide the real cost of providing healthcare through the stimulus
Nobody goes back to the CBO after the fact to see how close their projections were.