A recently released report by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects that the U.S. health care system will be facing a shortfall of 63,000 doctors in 2015. This will more than double to 130,600 by 2025 if no action is taken.
The outrageously high tuition at medical schools is a major cause of the predicted shortage. The average debt at graduation in 2009 was $156,456. Insufficient government funding for these institutions is also a factor. For example, nursing workforce development programs are facing a financial shortfall of over $23 million.
Some blame the impending lack of doctors on the recently passed health care “reform” law. Considering that the U.S. government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on imperialist wars and Wall Street bailouts, it is absurd to argue that the resources to avoid this shortage aren’t available. The real culprit in this situation is the irrational capitalist system, which is incapable of long-term planning to meet human needs.
