Let's talk about Healthcare EDUCATION reform [View all]
We all know that our nation's health system is a mess, but what is rarely talked about our medical education system. according to reports such as these https://www.aamc.org/download/328322/data/statedebtreport.pdf medical school tuition has increased on average of 6.3% each year for the last 30 years. Today's graduates are graduating with higher and higher debt loads- some in excess of $300,000 when we add in undergraduate tuition. This debt can take half a life time to pay it off. Personally, i know of attending doctors who have been in practice for over 15 years (not counting residency) and still have half their loans left. At their current rate, they will finish paying off their debt when they are in their late 50's. This is leading to many young adults looking away from medicine for their careers. While medicine is still a "lucrative" career choice it might not stay that way forever. Insurance/medicare/medicaid reimbursements keep declining and many doctors are having trouble keeping their income constant. Again, doctors are still making a comfortable living now but i'm talking about the future. Stagnant income plus increased debt load are becoming problems.
I would like to put forward an idea. This idea is modeled after the armed forces medical school programs. The army/navy/airforce will often pay for your tuition (along with giving you a living stipend) in return for 8 years of service after you graduate. Though your income for those 8 years is less than you would make privately, you come out 8 years later debt free with usually a decent amount saved (the military pays you a fair salary). Why not apply this type of program to "civilian life". We could develop a program where DHHS will pay for your medical school tuition in return for 8 years of public health service post residency. This could be structured to something like requiring a participating doctor to work at a free clinic (in their specialty) for 2 weeks a year for 8 years. This would have the added benefit bringing healthcare to those who can't afford it.
What do you guys (and gals) think?
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