gavra_at_work,
You are correct that a subsidized public option might have provided some impetus to control costs, but he right wingers killed it. This bill is the best we will get now and will make a world of difference — a life of difference — to thirty million or more. This will indeed be a big boost to the insurance industry but the greedy bastards are fighting even the Senate bill tooth and nail because they want more! Since they have every single Republican Senator in their pocket we have to give them pretty much what they want because several Democrats also want to give them what they want.
Tort reform is a good idea on its merits but it neither expanded access nor reduced costs in Texas where it had the most aggressive implementation. That state has today the worst medical system in the US with the most uninsured people. And salaried physicians has positives, too — my wife is one. She likes getting paid to give the best care whether it is expensive or not.
A600KiloBear,
Currently, about 25% of US medical residents received their medical degrees outside the US. But that has nothing to do with lack of interest in pursuing medical education — in the 2008-2009 cycle, 42,315 persons applied for 17,759 places in medical school. Most of those rejected were quite capable of suceeding academically. But we need thousands more physicians to fill the residency positions. The answer is to create more medical schools, but this takes enormous amounts of money.
I’ve now been teaching medical students for over a decade. If anything, the quality of students has improved along with their enthusiasm. At my medical school, about half the students are Jewish and they are not in it for the money. And frankly, I’m quite happy that those who thought about going to medical school for money are choosing other careers. Let the people with the real dedication to service take the scarce position.