My comment on Robert Reich blog post.

I made several comments on this post by Robert Reich. Here is the first one (others in following posts):

We already have a shortage of doctors in this country. Do you think paying them a lot less than they earn now would incentivize more people to become doctors? No, of course not, we would have fewer doctors, less quality, and the care they provide would of necessity be rationed. Doesn't it seem clear that this is exactly what is going to happen if we enact this public option? And this will be even further exacerbated by the need to cover the additional 45 million or so who will be added to the insurance rolls. Medicare is already doing this and it is causing many doctors to stop taking medicare patients because reimbursement rates are just too low:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/business/retirementspecial/02health.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=apv3pcTOWVjk

And the public option will do the exact same thing since it would basically just be medicare for the rest of us under 65! And with its implied or direct government subsidies, it will become the dominant player in the insurance industry --- no more cost shifting, doctors and other providers will just have to take the measly payments the government gives them or shove it. Well, I think a lot of doctors will probably just choose to shove it and leave medicine; and going forward not as many talented young people will go into medicine or health care, choosing more profitable endeavors instead (oh god, here comes more investment bankers!) And in the end we'll end up with something like this:

http://www.thestar.com/article/304134

http://www.thestar.com/article/681882