Is federal funding for doctor training enough?
It's no news that the doctor ranks are going to be squeezed when millions of new patients have access to insurance under federal health care reform.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this week $250 million in investments to increase the number of doctors, particularly primary care physicians, in hopes of easing the problem. The ranks of primary care doctors are already low because many medical students choose specialties that pay more.
But will the funding be enough?
The money will help to create 16,000 new primary care providers over the next 15 years. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of 21,000 primary physicians by 2015.
Here is an allocation of the $250 million:
- 168 million to train 500 new primary care physicians by 2015
- $32 million to support the development of 600 new physicians assistants
- $30 million to help more than 600 nursing students attend school full-time instead of part-time
- $15 million to opearaten 10 nurse-managed healtch centers to train nurse practitioners
- $5 million for states to develop plans to increase the primary care workforce 10 to 25 percent in the next decade
What do doctors and others out there think? Is this a step in the right direction? Is it going to solve the doctor shortage? What else can be done?
Comments
Let's say it costs
100,000 to train one resident for 1 year
so to train for 3 yrs, it would be 300,000
From NRMP data, there are about 10,000 mds who applied and did not get matched including International medical graduates.
So to train 10,000 mds who are qualified to undergo residency, all of them have invested several thousand dollars getting MD, passing USMLE test & being ecfmg certified, many of them citizens and some gc holders,
it would require only 3 billions,
once trained, they will pay tax about roughly half a billion every year or more , almost upto 3 billion annually.
In this recession time, there is no investment that would return this much of the profit than investing in making of doctors in USA.
Many of them, start paying tax even during residency
Resident earns about $50k annually and pays about 10k in tax
let's say 10k x 10,000 = 100 million x
During 3 yrs in residency
100 million x 3yr =300 million
A practicing primary care physician earns about 150,000 annually and pays about 50k in tax
after residency, 10,000 practicing physicians will start paying
10,000 x $50k =500 million in tax annually.
So why not invest just 3 billion and give all qualified & available IMGs residency and make this nation a healthier one?
Fed has given banks so much money, 50 billion to citi, 45 to bank of america, 25 to chase & 25 to wells fargo,
3 billion is nothing compared to this huge bank redemption, how about redemption for healthy america
Can anyone educate our honorable senators and the president?
Posted by: Dr. Manhattan | June 19, 2010 6:54 AM