By George Bohmfalk, M.D.
The Washington Post, Letters, September 8, 2023
Elisabeth Rosenthalās Sept. 6 op-ed, āA disappearing species in America: The family doctor,ā described many reasons more family practice and other primary-care physicians donāt enter or remain in those practices. The major one that is most fixable is their low incomes.
In 2017, family-practice physicians in their peak years earned an average of $230,000. Neurosurgeons took home $920,000. Very few argue for equal pay for all physicians, but not even I, a retired neurosurgeon, can justify one specialty being worth four times another. Most physicians enter medicine to help people, not drive them into bankruptcy and amass unanticipated and unneeded wealth. Very few high-earning specialists will voluntarily lower their fees. As with Medicareās new power to negotiate drug prices, only a federal program such as Medicare-for-all could correct these extreme income inequities and return control of their practices to physicians from their corporate owners.
Neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons can certainly support their families on a little less so that we all might benefit from more primary-care physicians.