Medicine

Concerned physician: "I have been amazed and frankly a bit outraged at the apathy that this chronic problem has engendered."

Market-based solutions have failed to work. Yet having the government manufacture some of the drugs remains the option that no one considers. Why not?

In an article about America’s physician shortage, The New York Times fails to adequately explain the causes of that medical emergency. And even though the solutions are hiding in plain sight, you will not find them in the piece. In the end, the article not only fails to move the debate forward, it lets policy makers off the hook for missing opportunity after opportunity to address the issue.

An outstanding reporter unaccountably prescribes a one-sided regimen of dispensing with annual physical examinations and cutting back on routine testing of both invasive and non-invasive testing, all without appreciating the potential costs to patients. Teaching better judgment? Yes. Minimizing data and communication? No.

Health care experts said that, by focusing narrowly on reducing costs, policy makers may be neglecting the broader potential of health technology to improve the quality of care.

Reader responds to Remapping Debate's new, widely referenced data visualizations on the increasing number and scope of state-level abortion restrictions.

Some propose to increase U.S. dependence on foreign doctors to address the physician shortage and argue that quality concerns can be addressed. Others say that the U.S. already relies heavily on foreign MDs, and question the ethics of that policy. And there is another issue: will a "temporary" solution have the potential to harden into a permanent arrangement?