[realusername]

> Your inflated health care bills helped pay for the 280k average salary of physicians (source: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2018-compensation-overvie...), which is over 2x as high as Western european doctors' salary.

I doubt that's the majority of the massive cost difference.

> For instance: Western european doctors do not need a 4-year bachelors degree just to _enter_ medical school.

Don't know where you are basing this but in France, Pharmacist is High School Diploma + 6 years or + 9 year depending on the specialty. So you get out at 24 or 27 year old (best scenario), I doubt that's longer in the US or otherwise there's a big problem there.

[arethuza]

Entry to both medical school and law school is usually done straight from high school in the UK.

[realusername]

Same in France, I guess the US is structured differently but overall it's probably the same amount of years. I doubt they study more than 6 or 9 years after high school or otherwise it's a bit too long.

[sol_remmy]

Post-high school schooling for a standard family doctor (one of the lowest paid doctors): 4 years bachelors + 4 years medical school + 3 years residency = 11 years post-high school education.

[arethuza]

Seems to be between 9 and 12 years after high school for a GP in the UK:

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/lengt...

[sol_remmy]

Except, in the UK, med school graduates at age 22 are "junior doctors" and are getting paid starting Year 5 (first year of foundational school)

UK: Start getting paid year 5

USA: Start getting paid year 9

Big difference

[realusername]

Ah yeah, there's maybe something wrong there then, it's a bit too long I think. For a standard doctor, it's 9 years in France and it's already quite long.

[ceejayoz]

Right, and it's two years longer than American medical school, as it's essentially combining the undergrad and the graduate into one program.