Catch Them Doing Something Right

The author of the article says that he prefers medical licensing to quackery, but I've found that when I talk to Americans abroad, their biggest shock is how much cheaper quality medical care is in other countries. High doctor incomes are caused by medical licensing, especially quotas on the number of internships the government allows.

Mark...that quote soured me on the article, also.

@Mark Brophy

Can you link to comparative data regarding medical licensing costs and internship quotas?

@Mark Brophy

Doctors are licensed everywhere but make 3 times as much in the US as in England and France (with an even greater disparity elsewhere) because:
1. Doctor fees are set by AMA and Medicare cartels,
2. Unlike the rest of the world, we believe that doctors are very special people who deserve to be rich, which is why so many doctors from the rest of the world emigrate here.

What would happen if the market for medical services was more like the market for air fares?

Old Man writes:

"Unlike the rest of the world, we believe that doctors are very special people who deserve to be rich, which is why so many doctors from the rest of the world emigrate here."

That of itself would lower the fees that doctors charge.

That of itself would lower the fees that doctors charge.

True, but it also has policy implications. The nationalized health care systems of Europe set doctor salaries as a monopsony. Because they don't share US style doctor-worship they can offer doctors lower salaries, leading to lower medical expenses.

In the United States we still can't even manage to avoid the "doc fix" to help control medicare costs, even though our doctors are the highest paid in the world.