Discount Doctors?

Matthew Yglesias, whose literacy seems challenged, has banned me from commenting at his blog. So I'll make my comments here.

Today, Matt has been mindlessly echoing some tired old theories from the land of liberal dementia. He thinks that price controls on health care services would serve us well, and that we would be better off as a nation if we would act forcefully to reduce physicians' earning potential.

*Sigh*

Hello salary Nazis: Please tell me how much money physicians should be allowed to make. But before you answer, let's look at some salary numbers:

From USA Today via Hot Air.

Interesting numbers, yes? Do they look fair to you? I'm not convinced that the federal government is doing a good job of re-distributing the wealth.

For some perspective, please note that the the median salary of a family doctor is about $137,000.

So tell me, should we allow physicians to earn as much as the average federally employed Public Relations manager? More than a landscape architect, or less? How do we decide? Would the federal government do a good job making the call?

If somebody can figure out a way to lure an adequate supply of competent people who have above-room-temperature IQs into a field that demands four years of college plus four years of medical school and at least three years of residency training (folks who would then go on the earn whatever Matthew Y. thinks is appropriate for the privilege of making life-and-death decisions while working long hours, nights, weekends and holidays), then by all means, let's cut physician compensation down to the bone, baby!

More

Is Matt Yglesias an idiot? (scroll down for the picture)

Putting a Dollar Figure on a Doctor’s Worth

Doctors' salaries aren't a large enough chunk of health care spending in the United States to make a difference.

Governments have been trying to set maximum or minimum prices since ancient times.

Federal pay ahead of private industry