[Sohcahtoa82]

> US doctors are overpaid. US nurses are over paid.

Median pay for a Nurse Practitioner is $132K/yr [0]. I think that's reasonable.

Average pay for physicians ranges from $220-450K depending on specialty. [1]

Personally, I think doctors should be paid more than software engineers, so I think those numbers are all reasonable, especially when you consider what it takes just to enter the field. Nurses require a Master's degree. Physicians need a Bachelor's degree PLUS another 4 years of med school AND THEN a residency program that lasts 3-9 years depending on specialty before they finally earn their medical license.

IMO, the idea that nurses and doctors are overpaid is quite simply ludicrous.

[0] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-...

[1] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.h...

[sgerenser]

You might find those salaries reasonable, but they’re probably double what those same occupations pay in many other (first world) countries with lower healthcare costs. Maybe the trade off is worth it, but it’s not something that can be ignored when people complain about how much more expensive healthcare is in the U.S. compared to Europe (for example).

[Sohcahtoa82]

> but they’re probably double what those same occupations pay in many other (first world) countries with lower healthcare costs

You'll find that salaries across the board are lower in other countries. Software developers in Europe make half of what they do in the USA. In exchange, they get far better benefits.

Also, physician salary only makes up about 8% of total healthcare costs [0]. Cutting salaries in half wouldn't significantly lower our healthcare costs.

[0] https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/physician-pay-makes-up...

[sgerenser]

No, certainly just cutting physician salaries wouldn’t make a big difference. But cutting salaries for everyone involved, including physicians, nurses, and administration would. I’m not saying we should do that, but just that people seem to ignore how much higher salaries are in the U.S. when they compare healthcare costs to other countries.