Medical School Debt
The the health information technology company Epocrates surveyed 1,015 students at more than 160 medical schools nationwide and found that their medical school debt is their biggest challenge in life. The average student debt is $162,000 for allopathic students and $205,674 for osteopathic medicine students. Eighty-six percent of allopathic medical school graduates and 91% of osteopathic medicine college graduates had educational debt in 2011. You can read the American Medical News article here. “In a separate question, students were asked about their concerns as future physicians. Fifty-three percent cited being a good physician as among their biggest concerns, 47% mentioned balancing work and personal life, and 30% said they were worried about paying off student loans.” So, let’s summarize:
- Big debt, high worry, lowest paying specialty – THIS IS WHY NO ONE IS GOING INTO PRIMARY CARE
Right on the money (actually, not money, more like an I.O.U)
With Obamacare’s aim to eradicate commercial insurance and launch ‘the public option’ thus reducing 95% of all reimbursement to 40 cents on the dollar, no one will be going into Primary Care, and few will be able to afford to stay in the game. I’m looking at other options…I have to. I keep hoping to catch the hospital committing Medicare fraud and I just happen to be the whistleblower…$20,000 fine per count, and the whistleblower gets 5% of the total fine…I might be able to retire with that…