American doctors are lobbying for better pay. The American Medical Association and other physician organizations are now urging Congress to repeal the policy. 3.37% Lower Medicare reimbursement rates that took effect at the beginning of the year.

This pay dispute should erode American doctors' sympathy for a complete government takeover of the nation's health care system in the form of Medicare for All. A single health insurance system would further reduce physician salaries and patient care even further.

Their allies across the Atlantic will take their place.

Junior doctors working in the National Health Service in England and Wales staged a series of strikes in January to demand better pay, including a six-day strike, the longest in NHS history.

The recent reduction in reimbursement rates for Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors, is just the latest in a series of pay cuts for U.S. doctors.After adjusting for inflation, Medicare paid doctors. 26 percent In 2023, it will be lower than in 2001.

On the other hand, costs associated with operating a physician's office, including personnel, rent, and management costs, among others, are increasing. In response, some doctors are limiting the number of Medicare patients they see. Other doctors, especially younger doctors, are abandoning private practice in favor of hospital employment.

almost 1 in 10 people Doctors reported in a Mediscape survey last year that they were not accepting new Medicare patients.just 65 percent Percentage of physicians who say they will continue to treat their current Medicare and Medicaid patients and The new findings are the lowest percentage since Medscape began the study in 2011.

Expanding Medicare even further, as progressives like independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have long called for, would change the U.S. health care system from the government-run system that Britain has had for three-quarters of a century. It will be closer to the model. American doctors won't like that model.

The typical American doctor is $316,000On the other hand, the average UK doctor $138,000, according to the 2021 Medscape Physician Compensation Report. Junior doctors, similar to residents and fellows in the United States, earn even less.Their salaries add up to only about $34,000 every year, or about $16.50 per hour, according to the British Medical Association.

The junior doctors are the latest to end a six-day strike, the longest in the history of the UK National Health Service and the 10th strike since March last year. what they are looking for is 35 percent The pay increase was given to counter the inflation-adjusted wage cuts experienced since 2008.

Since March, young doctors have been on strike. 1.2 million Canceled or rescheduled appointments.

The NHS pays doctors a nominal sum to keep costs down. However, these low wages mean that people are not keen to enter the profession. Junior doctors said many colleagues were leaving the NHS for better pay in other countries. Some choose to spend more time treating privately paid patients outside the NHS.

As a result, the supply of care is becoming increasingly limited. However, given that Brits receive 'free' healthcare at the point of accessing their health care services, the demand for healthcare is effectively unlimited. That's a recipe for a long wait.

In November, 7.6 million People on NHS care waiting lists. More in December 666,000 People waited more than four hours to receive treatment in the emergency room.That same month, people who suffered strokes, heart attacks and other medical emergencies had to wait. 45 minutesOn average, this is the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive.

thousands of patients die every year This is due to crowded emergency rooms and long wait times.

Long waiting times and canceled appointments are plaguing the NHS. more british I decided to rely on private care.With the demand for private healthcare increasing significantly, the healthcare system is cleveland clinic We are expanding our footprint in the UK.

The royal family tends not to use the public system. Kate, Princess of Wales recently opted to undergo surgery on her abdomen. private hospital.

Britons are becoming acutely aware that the government-run healthcare system is bad for doctors and patients alike. Americans, and especially doctors frustrated by Medicare's frugality, should take note.

Sally C. Pipes is President and CEO of the Pacific Institute and a Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy. Her latest book is False premises, false promises: The grim reality of Medicare for All (Encounter 2020). Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @sallypipes.