[jmull]

1. That’s the point: how much extra we seem to be paying vs other places (which have good healthcare).

2. You are wrong here. Click through to the source and you’ll find the number is for overall compensation, not just salary. E.g.:

    For employed physicians,
    patient-care compensation
    includes salary, bonus, and
    profit-sharing contributions. 
    For partners, this includes
    earnings after taxes and 
    deductible business expenses
    but before income tax.

I think you should be carful about making strong claims like that without checking the facts first.