Are medical resident salaries in danger?

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Since medicare pays for resident salaries, are resident salaries in danger since medicare is in danger?

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[getdown]

Doubt it. Residents are cheap labor so if medicare can't pay the hospital will likely foot the bill since it's cheaper than paying full attendings to do so. Plus resident salary is a combination of medicare and hospital payment anyway. Medicare gives an allotment for number of residents to "train" there then hospital will adjust for living expenses, fees, etc. Residents can moonlight at times too to supplement. Lots of nuances, but essentially someone's gonna pay unless they want no future doctors.

 

[TypeADissection]

Nah. We do more and get paid a fraction of what they pay NPs/PAs. We're very skilled, indentured servants that are very cheap. Not a chance.

 

[Med Ed]

Since medicare pays for resident salaries, are resident salaries in danger since medicare is in danger?

Depends. Is there a mechanism to funnel current resident salaries into the pockets of hedge fund managers?

 

[7331poas]

They're already paying residents crumbs soooo.

Can always be paid less. And they have zero recourse if that happens.

 

[Goro]

Since medicare pays for resident salaries, are resident salaries in danger since medicare is in danger?

Do not underestimate the political power of the Baby Boom generation on this subject.

The Medicare part, not the resident salary part.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Only if there is a flawed, loop-hole ridden tax law that increases deficit spending requiring cuts of important programs like Medicare instituted by a money-driven, alleged billionaire president and his financial advisers mostly from Goldman Sachs. I mean, what are the chances of that ever happening here in the USA?

But do you think that, in general, Medicare going bankrupt with disrupt resident paychecks?

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

I’d love to hear @mimelim thoughts on this

 

[mimelim]

Since medicare pays for resident salaries, are resident salaries in danger since medicare is in danger?

I’d love to hear @mimelim thoughts on this

I don't know what you mean by "Medicare is in danger", so it is hard to really comment.

Simply put, if Medicare disappeared tomorrow, there would be no funding mechanism for resident salaries starting in July. However, if Medicare disappeared tomorrow, I can think of a dozen worse things that would happen than residents losing their salaries. And, I say that as a resident, who would lose their salary.

 

[Microbug]

Nah. We do more and get paid a fraction of what they pay NPs/PAs. We're very skilled, indentured servants that are very cheap. Not a chance.

Ha! You sound like a post-doc

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Ha! You sound like a post-doc

Many would argue that being a resident is more intense than doing a postdoc. But residents have piece of mind that they have a career ahead of them as fully licensed physicians whereas post docs are left wondering if they’ll ever attain professorship.

So I’d pick being a resident over being a postdoc any day.

 

[bioboy23]

I don't know what you mean by "Medicare is in danger", so it is hard to really comment.

Simply put, if Medicare disappeared tomorrow, there would be no funding mechanism for resident salaries starting in July. However, if Medicare disappeared tomorrow, I can think of a dozen worse things that would happen than residents losing their salaries. And, I say that as a resident, who would lose their salary.

Wow I had no idea you were a resident!! The more you know.

 

[HomeSkool]

Wait, residents get paid now?! We better nip that in the bud so we have money for more administrators.