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Comment by ActsJuvenile | Hacker News Reader

Doctors vs Software Engineers are very interesting case studies in my eyes.

AMA (American Medical Association) has successfully lobbied congress to cap residencies at 100K a year, essentially restricting supply. Foreign doctors have to go through a gauntlet of exams, tests, and licenses that keeps market from being flooded with cheaper talent and diluting local doctor salaries.

Software Engineers have failed to unite like this, so the MS+FAANGs and consulting companies have lobbied for free flow of cheap labor under the guise of innovation. There are no board certifications, no licensing exams, and no restrictions on supply. This is why software salaries have been artificially suppressed for two decades.

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> AMA (American Medical Association) has successfully lobbied congress to cap residencies at 100K a year, essentially restricting supply.

The AMA is opposed to the current cap, and has been active in both lobbying for increasing Medicare funding for residencies and in building up alternative sources of funding residencies: https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-con...

This seems to be a persistent myth on HN. Do people just assume the AMA's position hasn't changed in 23 years?

> Doctors vs Software Engineers are very interesting case studies in my eyes.

Actually, this is a great example. By restricting medical professionals, medical wages went high. Great for them!

But for the rest of America, this SUCKS. Medical expenses are through the roof, care cannot be had without selling all your money and often, specialist shortages mean appointments can be had only 3 months later. The lack of liquidity of healthcare professionals has made American healthcare the WORST in the developed world.

And this is in cities. Healthcare in rural America is pathetic.

Thanks for bringing to the fore how America has forever destroyed lives for the rest by trying to advantage the few.

Oddly, many of those immigrant healthcare professionals who put in the time to complete residency, get certified and take up jobs in under-served rural areas are on H1B visas.

The AMA doesn't institute caps though they may have lobbied for one in the past (which I kind of doubt) - the Federal Government has the cap via the GME program at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Residents are expensive to host and Medicare pays something like $10B/year to train new physicians. Congress could increase that amount tomorrow if they felt like it.

Medical professions are physically constrained, easier to lobby and limit supply.

Software development is not as physically constrained, any moves to restrict supply will automatically lead to offshoring similar to manufacturing.

Licensing does not limit offshoring. Accounting is the best example of this. There are many licensed CFAs in India and Philippines doing outsourced accounting work.

That's fine. Then those countries do better, and the world becomes a better place.

Wait you were ecstatic because it would supposedly reduce competition. It’s been pointed out to you that it won’t, but you’re fine with it because... for some other reason? What is it, then?

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