As Democrat candidates discuss their support for Medicare for All, others are looking at ways a plan like that could devastate American healthcare. In a new piece in the Wall Street Journal, Sally Pipes writes about how it could lead to a lack of doctors due to severe pay cuts that would inevitably happen:
“Drastic pay cuts would inevitably drive physicians to give up the practice. Patients can’t afford an exodus of doctors. Nearly 80 million people live in areas with too few primary-care professionals, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports. Even under current policies, the country may face a shortage of as many as 120,000 doctors in a decade, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The prospect of lower pay and stressful work would also discourage young people from entering the profession. Medical school is expensive; the median graduate takes on $200,000 in debt. It’s time-consuming, too. The typical doctor spends four years in medical school, followed by three to seven years in residency and fellowship. Lucrative jobs in finance, technology and law require far less preparation time.”
It’s not difficult to see how this policy will be harmful. Unfortunately, those on the Left are unwilling to accept reality, choosing instead to focus on what people want to hear. As Pipes note, Medicare for All “would reduce the projected number of U.S. physicians in 2050 by about 44,000, including more than 10,000 primary-care doctors.”
Let’s stop this train before it gets going. Our healthcare future depends on it. Learn more about how Medicare for All would affect our country in this video: