Adding fuel to why there is/will be a physician shortage:

“In medical school I spent easily 80 hours/wk in classes or studying. I completed a preliminary year in general surgery the year before the 80 hour/wk work rule took effect. Not one week had less than 120 hours of hospital responsibilities; most were between 125 and 135 hours. Our general surgery residency program boasted a 100 percent divorce rate among its residents before graduation. The three years of my anesthesiology residency has required approximately 80 hours a week of hospital and homework.

“As I graduate, I have approximately $170,000 in student debt from my medical school training alone . . .

. . . “Many other trades and professions provide more income per hour of work than many medical specialties—including pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, and general surgery. Without the fear of being sued for an outcome beyond their control. And the day that Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement became less than the cost of treating those patients was a day of darkness for the healthcare profession. Physicians are voluntarily one of the most philanthropic professions, but our philanthropy should not be mandated by the lack of government reimbursement.