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Interesting show, but I think its missing the point. Physician's compensation is a distraction to the real problem of skyrocketing healthcare costs. The real problem is the insurance companies.On average, Insurance companies use 20-30% of every healthcare dollar for administration. Next, add the office workers  required to code the dr's work and navigate the insurance co.'s paperwork just to get paid. There are how many healthcare insurance companies in Portland?, In Oregon, In theUSA? It does not take a rocket scientist to see the redundancy and inefficiency. Insurance companies are for profit corporations. They make money when they don't pay. Is it ethical  for the insurance companies to make a profit? They don't own the hardware{ the hospitals+ equipt.} nor the talent{the drs, nurses etc.}. Medicare only uses 3% of each Health care dollar.  I say we eliminate the redundancy with a single payer, non profit and insure everyone.Then the pool of money will be very large. Usage will be a bell shaped curve of low users  and high users on the ends and a large belly of moderate users.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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I think your missing JWMD's point with regards to engineers and physican's salaries. A physician is , generally, directly responsible for your health.  The engineers responsible for lets say designing a  boeing jet are also responsible for your safety but the methodology for designing and constructing  the aforementioned jet goes through a variety of tests and checks with a large team.

Again, the required immediacy of a dr.'s decisions are  the difference.I would also add the PHD on an engineer could be in a huge host of sub disciplines that may contribute to some level of competency but not to one that necessarily puts him or her in charge of your well being.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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A Phd in Nursing is great, so congrats, but nurses follow  the orders of the doctor.The doctor takes  the responsibility and  has many more years of training not to mention the high achievement required to  even become a medical doctor. The physician deserves much greater compensation.  Further the physician compensation is just a distraction. The problem is the insurance companies. See my general comment regarding this real problem.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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