They are becoming more lucrative in light of the PCP shortage in Canada.
A simple way to relieve the shortages here. Forgive all student loans for those who choose primary care as a career.
Update:
Even the NY Times gets it. Nothing relieves physician shortages faster than cash:
New York’s governor, Eliot Spitzer, has announced plans to create a kind of Peace Corps for doctors called “Doctors Across New York.” The idea is to help lure physicians into practicing in areas where a quarter of the state’s population is officially underserved.To make that happen, Mr. Spitzer wants to provide up to $150,000 in awards “” for a five-year employment commitment “” to help pay off medical school loans. Right now, the state offers a paltry $10,000 in loan forgiveness per year for two years served in one of these areas, barely a down payment on medical school debt that now averages up to $160,000.
Mr. Spitzer also wants to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates to doctors and clinics in these underserved areas. There could even be grants to specialists who can be persuaded to establish practices or clinics where they are most needed.
