Medical Education for the Rich = Medical Care for the Rich

There has been a lot of news about the 43 million Americans who can’t get in to see a doctor. Here is why!

Courtesy: dianeandersonforhouse.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Unfortunately medical education not only costs a lot of money, requiring very rich parents, but once the doctor has graduated his patients must be the very rich. Medical care has become a luxury available only to the rich.

For example about 43 million people, men, women and children cannot get in to see a physician. The strange factor about this is that in state schools, the tuition cost is subsidized by these patient's taxes and whom do you think pays the heaviest burden of taxes?

It is the middle and lower classes, those 43 million, who can’t get in to see a doctor.

I checked my computer to see tuition costs per year. The highest was George Washington University in D.C. at $46 thousand per year with Albany, N.Y. at $44 thousand. Up there was Harvard at $40 thousand.

A parent would have to be earning at least 200 grand per year to be able to kick in that kind of money. If the future physician was brought up in such regal style he or she would certainly want to earn that OR MORE. That is why 43 million middle and lower class can’t get in.

The lowest tuition I found was Baylor in Texas at $6500.00. Living cost would be about $2000 per month. Adding it all up that would be about $30 thousand per year for the cheapest medical education. It would take a family income of about 150 thousand to do that. It is doubtful if any family earning even 100 thousand could finance this.

Most medical schools are at least $20 thousand. It is true that US tuition loans are available but I know recent graduates who have owed $150 thousand or more and that is just the first four years. Internships and Residencies don’t pay enough to start paying back and they possibly still have to get more loans or moonlight getting peanuts and 3-4 hours sleep a night. That’s dangerous!!

With all the above, the new doctor must go where the money is and that doesn’t include the middle or lower income folks. Along with the new doctors financial problems we have the upper middle class who do have the money going in but if they have a catastrophic illness the cost could hit $200 thousand and the net result is loss of home and bankruptcy.

I have a suggestion for this. Most government employees, especially in congress etc, have Govt. sponsored medical plans and I’ll bet the Medical Insurance Companies make beaucoup bucks.

I propose that EVERYBODY gets the same plan, after all we taxpayers are paying for it and if it’s good enough for government employees it is probably good enough for the rest of us.

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Geneveive March 30, 2009 8:22 pm (Pacific time)

I'm one of the 43million and I know how hard it is to never get to go to the doctor, or take my kids. We have a low standard of living and it sucks. We need to help Americans stay alive!

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Rudy Carrick March 25, 2009 5:40 pm (Pacific time)

The author said it was the middle and lower classes that pay the highest tax burden. That's very interesting, does someone have a source that acknowledges that claim? Would love to show it to my rich neighbors.

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