[zugi]

> One argument is tacit collusion to “inflate salaries” which may be part of it, but if this accounts for all of the impact then it is a scandal and evidence of institutional corruption that should be paraded in the streets.

The role of the AMA in restricting the supply of doctors has been paraded for decades, but it just doesn't catch on. People like their personal doctors and refuse to think ill of doctors, though they'll happily blame others in the medical industry. I find it quite believable that the doctors industry would err on the side of undersupply, making their own salaries high, rather than risk oversupply and a drop in salaries.

Is that "collusion"? That's just terminology. It's the standard "regulatory capture", as government officially delegates accreditation to the medical industry, despite the obvious conflict of interest. The AMA argues they're protecting doctor quality, even though they overtly worry about oversupply.