General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy not do Free Medical Education (Doctors and Nurses) in exchange for taking Single Payer patients
Why don't we pay for the medical education of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in exchange for them taking on Single Payer/Medicare for All patients. For current health care professionals, we can offer to forgive all outstanding student loan debt.
Or am I crazy?
p.s. I'm not saying lower the standards to get into medical school. The standards for admission/graduation would be the same. They would just have to accept Medicare/Single payer patients.
p.p.s. There would be a limit to the number of patients that they would be required to accept.
Okay, now you may call me crazy.
applegrove
(118,022 posts)as a calling. No need for free education. People make a good salary in canada under universal health care. They pay off their loans. The system works.
Yavin4
(35,357 posts)I'm trying to create an incentive for medical professionals to take on single payer patients.
Ms. Toad
(33,915 posts)Here's a relatively comprehensive summary for doctors:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/pay-medical-school-through-service/
htuttle
(23,738 posts)The high cost of health care comes in large part from the administration of health care, and this idea wouldn't reduce the need, amount or cost of it.
Pharmaceuticals are another source of high health care costs, and that problem wouldn't go away either.
That's why so many proposals for some sort of universal health care end up having to just cover everything in order to reduce the cost of figuring out what NOT to pay for (in a medically sound way), and also need to present a monopoly-level customer (ie, one without competition) to Big Pharma in order to get lower costs.
lindysalsagal
(20,444 posts)Staff them with unpaid but also un-charged (tuition) students and interns with attendings on salary. We need to provide non-emergency and non-surgical healthcare, and we also need docs and nurses.
Use some of the empty buildings that manufacturing abandonded. There are so many empty shopping malls because of Amazon.
We have the brains and initiative, we just need the medical for-profit lobby to allow the laws to provide for the non-profit formats.
cyclonefence
(4,483 posts)which was interest-free and did not have to be repaid at all if I taught school for four years in a "needy" school district.
Maybe doctors' and nurses' student loans could be forgiven at a given rate per year they agree to work in free clinics? They would of course be paid for their work, but the debt relief would be very attractive, I think.
Ohiogal
(31,669 posts)Where they'd pay off a new doctor's medical school loans in exchange for them to work a certain number of years at rural clinics or understaffed urban clinics?
sarah FAILIN
(2,857 posts)You just have to go to an under served area
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/loan-repayment-and-forgiveness/
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Fact is, if one can make $200K, or more, a year, its not that difficult to pay off sizable loans.
roamer65
(36,739 posts)Model it exactly the same and widen the pool. The benefits would increase for everyone.
Call it NorthAmericare.
Yavin4
(35,357 posts)And wear a mullet?