in colombia, for $49, you can have a real doctor come to your home
An interesting comparison between countries is here:
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy...
You would expect developed nations to all land within a few percentile of each other on major issues but for whatever reason the gap is enormous here.
A friend had a grandfather in mexico that had prostate problems. He was 85+ years old, and the doctor convinced him to have surgery. He had some weird problems with the anesthesia, but they bundled him in a car and sent him home. to die. The doctor was still paid up front.
In the US, it would be very hard to convince a doctor to do surgery on an 80+ year old patient. They would have watched over him until he was completely stable. All kinds of other differences.
Also I think in other countries you can't get some operations at any cost, like heart bypass surgeries, while in the US you can pay for it if you have the money.
I think there needs to be more nuanced comparisons.
Not sure about the US, but this doen't seem to be true in the UK.
"The number of people aged 75 years or more undergoing surgery increased from 544,998 (14·9 per cent of that age group) in 1999 to 1,012,517 (22·9 per cent) in 2015. By 2030, it is estimated that one-fifth of the 75 years and older age category will undergo surgery each year (1·49 (95 per cent c.i. 1·43 to 1·55) million people), at a cost of €3·2 (3·1 to 3·5) billion."
For other things Community Collage may suffice, but Medical Schools are extremely competitive with spots being artificially restricted while the population continues to grow, so it is very unlikely that a Community Collage applicants even with good scores would be accepted.
PS - Medical residence also often get paid a low enough salary and their loans kick in, that it can be a financial struggle without family support. There is a reason why many come from wealthy families.
I would estimate a doctor has to earn at least $1M if not $2M extra during their working years to offset giving up their alternative life in the prime of their life.
(Yes of course it isn't free, it's paid for by taxes. Taxes get quite high for high-earners such as doctors. So it all evens out.)
The shocking part isn’t how much they pay, it’s also the opportunity cost of how long they make little to no money. When determining hourly wage, most physicians in training (e.g. residents, fellows) make minimum wage.
It’s a decade of training or more where income is severely deferred. There isn’t even a guarantee of an astronomical salary because some specialties do not pay well.
One of the pernicious undercurrents affecting costs throughout all of US society, where I think the pendulum has swung way too far.