I’d like to propose a simple solution to the lack of physicians in Maine, and elsewhere, as well as a remedy for the enormous debt doctors have leaving medical school. Additionally, this solution would provide doctors to under-served areas of the country.

The solution? We should pay for tuition and books. It would cost about $1.25 billion per year. This includes 25,000 potential doctors, and around $50,000 in tuition and book costs per year, both more than expected.

Every year we have graduates who owe between $210,000 and $270,000. This high debt means that some graduates will decide which area of medicine to work in (i.e., which residency to apply for) by looking at how much they will earn to pay down their debt, and where to practice. While this seems reasonable in a capitalist society, it is unreasonable when large parts of our country have difficulty finding a doctor, and the general cost of health care in America.

What would we get from this investment?

• Nobody would graduate with such significant debt;

• Every doctor would, after completing their residency, be asked to practice in an under-served area for a period to be determined, but probably two to four years;

• The cost of tuition would remain the same, the payment by residencies would be the same, and the financial cost to the under-served areas would also remain the same, although there are probably savings to be accrued in the long run;

• Insurance companies should be asked to pay all of the charges, as the profit from the health insurance industry has been so high.

This suggestion has been percolating for a long time. I think it is reasonable, and would love others’ input into how to make it happen.

Richard Fein

Manchester

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