It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.
Physician salaries are less than 10% the cost of healthcare. You could eliminate their salary entirely and it'd have no meaningful difference on the cost of healthcare. There is _absolutely_ an artificial supply limitation, but that's increasingly being worked around by the use of PA and NP providers. Doctors essentially become managers for PA and NPs. My wife is a physician. Actual, scientific diagnosis is a ridicul…
That's sort-of what a NP is, but without the doctor in the room and only if she were reviewing their notes after.
(I know some doctors who this is a sensitive subject so I haven't asked them yet).