“Sorry I don’t make the prices, I just benefit from them”
Not saying doctors don’t deserve a good wage, but they are absolutely aware of the unfair healthcare system in the United States. Could they band together and advocate for change? Yes, and some do. Should more? Probably. Do a lot of doctors not care cuz they’re rich anyway? Probably.
This varies a lot by specialty but many doctors would like to see less patients and would be open to be paid less to do so, so that they can take more time on each case.
There was a time (boomer era) where doctors owned practices and had meaningful leverage in the system. Now all of those practices have been bought out by private equity. Most doctors are employees and if they band together in any way the hospital administration has tools to stamp it out because this is America.
I’ve worked at several instiutions in the US where either doctors or nurses sought to unionize and through that effort institute safer patient care practices. The hospital administration stamped it out in every case. Even just the optics is challenging because if you make the suggestion of a strike they will run to the media and insinuate you’re betraying your oath and putting patients in danger. Many people are guilted out of participating.
There are somewhat successful unions in the country but if you’re in a region where there isn’t one, having a grassroots one succeed is very difficult.
Perhaps the most influential and lucrative specialties (neurosurgery, interventional cardiology, orthopedics) could move the needle if they didn’t have to spend all their time working but everyone else who isn’t an MBA administrator has unfortunately become a replacable cog in the system. This is the nature of American capitalism. It enshittifies everything.
“Sorry I don’t make the prices, I just benefit from them”
Not saying doctors don’t deserve a good wage, but they are absolutely aware of the unfair healthcare system in the United States. Could they band together and advocate for change? Yes, and some do. Should more? Probably. Do a lot of doctors not care cuz they’re rich anyway? Probably.
Some insightful comments on this topic made by @[email protected] earlier:
https://lemmy.world/comment/24503980
They really don’t, though. Doctors’ pay is just as stagnant as everyone else’s.
This varies a lot by specialty but many doctors would like to see less patients and would be open to be paid less to do so, so that they can take more time on each case.
There was a time (boomer era) where doctors owned practices and had meaningful leverage in the system. Now all of those practices have been bought out by private equity. Most doctors are employees and if they band together in any way the hospital administration has tools to stamp it out because this is America.
I’ve worked at several instiutions in the US where either doctors or nurses sought to unionize and through that effort institute safer patient care practices. The hospital administration stamped it out in every case. Even just the optics is challenging because if you make the suggestion of a strike they will run to the media and insinuate you’re betraying your oath and putting patients in danger. Many people are guilted out of participating.
There are somewhat successful unions in the country but if you’re in a region where there isn’t one, having a grassroots one succeed is very difficult.
Perhaps the most influential and lucrative specialties (neurosurgery, interventional cardiology, orthopedics) could move the needle if they didn’t have to spend all their time working but everyone else who isn’t an MBA administrator has unfortunately become a replacable cog in the system. This is the nature of American capitalism. It enshittifies everything.