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Not enough doctors? Blame Medicare, not malpractice premiums
Friday, December 18, 2009
Business Week: While it’s common for “tort reformers” to say there is an exodus of doctors due to the cost of medical malpractice insurance, Pat Wehclser reports the real reason for a looming shortage of doctors is not enough doctors are being trained. “In 1997, lawmakers placed a cap on the number of medical residencies—hospital training required for all doctors—in order to contain costs under Medicare, which pays for most of these training slots. Today the U.S. is in the grip of a nationwide doctor shortage, brought on by an aging population demanding access to specialists….The cap that stands in their way affects 90,000 of 110,000 residencies at U.S. hospitals, according to the medical college association.”
Related posts:
- Doctor shortage? If there is, it won’t be because of malpractice insurance
- North Carolina doctors’ malpractice information now online
- If medical malpractice insurance rates are driving doctors out of business, why are there more doctors?
- Medical negligence damage caps in Texas benefit only doctors, insurers
- Searchable database of disciplinary actions, malpractice judgments against California doctors
Tags: Doctor shortage, Medical negligence, Medical schools;
Category: In The News;