Doctors for America?

[kirtu]

Since the US doesn't have a clear path to decent health care for it's population, can we sponsor doctors from other second and third world countries as well as from the first world (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe) to come and practice here? There is a well-respected program in Cuba where some American's are training. Is it legal to sponsor people to go there and train? Could we do the Joel Fleishman thing (Northern Exposure) and sponsor doctors through medical school in order to provide community health care?

Kirt

[justsit]

Are you referring to individual sponsorship? Corporate? Government?

[kirtu]

Are you referring to individual sponsorship? Corporate? Government?

I'd give the Deng Zhou Ping response although the governments (so government at all levels) and corporations have proven themselves to be failures at health care and many other pressing problems. This would primarily be led by people at a community level perhaps in partnership with government and some corporations. But the question is: how do we get doctors into underserved communities and populations as soon as possible? DC is a perfect example of a wonderful place with many overlooked and ignored populations that lack access to health care.

I was originally thinking of getting a group of churches together to sponsor a few doctors who would then provide free health care to people who needed it in the area. It might be possible to get backing from Tzu Chi to work on this.

Kirt

[justsit]

Sure, it's feasible, but probably not cheap or easy. There are many considerations such as visas, source and quality of foreign medical education (varies significantly by country), reimbursement issues (ie, Medicare/Medicaid), malpractice insurance (big $$$). etc. Try googling something like "physician program for underserved areas;" someone has probably already done something similar to what you're proposing, this is just one site that came up. There are also rolling medical vans that can be very cost effective.

Part of the problem is keeping docs who frequently have big med school debt in low-paying family practice jobs. They are usually overworked and underpaid, and either burn out and/or move to higher-paying specialty positions. The days of the single doctor family practice are pretty much over.

[ronnewmexico]

The US system is set up around and abound in, profit motivation.
As this is, artificial barriers exist to prevent large amounts of US docs from becoming such.Requirements of internship being most noteably obvious in this regard.

Cuba back in the day of the revolution had 60% of their docs leave.
They set up a system of education which removed artificial obstructions and had as result a large large influx of docs into their system. So much so that years later they now export medical services to other nations such as Venezuela in exchange for other products.

If large amounts of docs existed, there exists also much less individual demand for services and thusly less profit. INdividual docs perhaps as much as 40% are not into it in any manner related to profit.
But large organizations with politic, such as the AMA certainly reflect the profit investive side of medical training in the US.

So the solution lies before us...remove the obstructions.
As a aside organizations such as native american tribes in the US do provide repayment of loans to docs and some other medical providers who provide services to their constituancies. So it is not just a requirement for repayment of loans that drives docs away from general medical practice.
General medical practice is just not as lucritive. The idea of docs as a class being altruistic saints who are forced away from general practice is a myth.
Most....want more money, but could do quite fine in other settings.

Public health service in the US which provides medical services to native americans provides quite a subtantial pay and pays off loans as well.
But it is not as lucritive as it requires perhaps general care as opposed to other specialities.

Some are saints..most are not.

Most of those attracted to a US practice from other countries.....they know the US system run by the insurers oft as not obstructs who may get care and to what degree.....So you have to ask yourself...... why if they may more easily provide equal good care in their countries...why exactly are they relocating here?
Eventually you see they will make much much more.....so who wants those docs....I don't.