送交者: 吴礼 于 2005-6-16, 20:21:43:
回答: what the deal of medical doctor? 由 skipper3 于 2005-6-16, 19:11:55:
1. Market conditions: patients rarely compare price when looking for doctors. In fact, many only find out about the price when they receive the bill after the service is done. Therefore, there is no reason for doctors to reduce price in competition. On the other hand, insurance companies do perform price comparison when they contract doctors. That’s why they pay much less than individual patients.
2. Monopoly: enrollment of medical schools (and therefore supply of future doctors) is controlled by the Medical Association, which represents current in-practice doctors. The hardship that an entering doctor must endure (long hours and low pay as residents) is also designed by the Medical Association, to further discourage young people from entering this profession.
3. As a society, it is desirable that the best talent enter medical profession. Therefore the reward should be high. Whether it is higher than necessary, and whether it indeed managed to attract the best people, is another story.
4. It is a good idea to give the doctors higher income than they would earn in other professions. This way, there is a big incentive for them to keep their license, and thus be very careful in avoiding mistakes in practice.
5. Not all doctors have high income. If you are a mediocre doctor, you won’t be successful in your own practice. If you are hired by a hospital, the pay is only slightly higher than a Ph D working in companies. If you do have your own practice, you are like a small business owner, and should commensurable income level. They are rewarded for the risk they take.