[cbozeman]

No, this guy is actually correct.

The supply of medical doctors is kept artificially low in order to keep salaries artificially high. I ran into this firsthand. I was actually a pre-med student in college, but as I really dug into how the whole system works and found out that physicians' groups and lobbies work to prevent new medical schools from being established, to keep spots in existing medical schools scarce, to keep their salaries inflated, I got disgusted and instead finished my degree in biological sciences with a focus in evolutionary biology.

The system needs an enormous overhaul and reform. There are some workarounds being implemented to address demand, notably nurse practitioners, who have almost the same powers and privileges as M.D.s, but not quite. That's even changing though.

But the core of OP's post is totally correct. A huge part of this situation we find ourselves in right now is due to good old-fashioned greed and protectionism.

[djsumdog]

Is this true in other countries? I had a friend who finished med school in Brisbane but then struggled when he came back to the US to find a residency.