I find it entertaining how everyone is trying to place a number on the amount doctors should get paid. If someone wants to trade their labor for monetary compensation, who are you to decide exactly how much that should be? Sure health care is quite expensive, that's what happens when there's high demand and low supply, but that doesn't give ANYONE the right to set a limit on physicians wages. Fundamental economics tells us that if you want increased quality for a lower cost, let the free market handle it. I know my beliefs won't be that popular on this site, but the fact is that legislation in this country makes it TOO difficult to practice medicine (yes, I'm talking about requiring licenses for example) which lowers the competition in the field. Med school would be a hell of a lot less expensive if attendance wasn't required to be a physician. Get rid of all the restrictive legislation, open up more competition in health care, allow people to choose their health care providers based on consumer reports, word-of-mouth, doctor experience (however the hell they want to decide) and there will MUCH more options available (most will be cheaper) and at a higher level of quality. And for the people who fall through the cracks? What happened to these people before medicare and medicaid? Doctors provided care FOR FREE, by CHOICE. The more the government steps in to try and be "the good guy" the less charitable care physicians will provide and the more money that will come out of taxpayers pockets in the end. Obamacare is just another HUGE step in the wrong direction toward socialism.
TL;DR: Free Market = Higher quality care for less cost. Government intrusion = Less competition in the field and higher cost of care.
