# Do we have enough medical training for UHC? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 6, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778 "2011-08-06T22:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/41 "2011-08-08T01:25:32Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Just to note that this is only true for the particular UK system of UHC. French doctors don’t get paid (except in public hospitals, obviously), they’re private practitionners. > > It’s good to remember that different countries have very diffferent UHC systems, although most people in the USA think of the British and Canadian model, since those are the countries they’re the most familiar with. My Canadian doctor bills the government insurance provider for each and every visit just like a US doctor bills his host of insurance providers. He’s not on any salary if that’s where you are going with this. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/42 "2011-08-08T02:23:55Z")
Neither are most NHS providers. Way, way back (ending in about 1970 I think), doctors were employed directly by the NHS. Nowadays, medical practices are private enterprises, and the practice gets paid per patient by the NHS. It’s a very equitable system; patients choose their doctors, and if too many people choose the same doctor the level of patient care drops and some patients will go to other doctors with more capacity. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/43 "2011-08-09T12:53:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Neither are most NHS providers. Way, way back (ending in about 1970 I think), doctors were employed directly by the NHS. Nowadays, medical practices are private enterprises, and the practice gets paid per patient by the NHS. But if I’m not mistaken, they’re paid by patient, not per visit. So, the doctor will receive the same payment for a registered patient who never visits him and for a registered patient who comes every other day. Or am I mistaking the UK system for some other country’s? (For the record, in France, you pay for your visit and are reimbursed later by the UHC system) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/44 "2011-08-09T13:39:53Z")
Well, that’s no longer strictly true, thanks to a 2006 overhaul which rewards GPs for taking measures to _get_ patients to come in (community awareness, leafleting and so on), but for the most part you’re right. I guess I don’t understand what you mean by “French doctors don’t get paid”, though. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/45 "2011-08-09T16:54:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > There are tons of qualified applicants in the US who would make fine doctors but there is a cap system on how many the med schools will accept and how many residencies there are. So I don’t see why importation is necessary if we need more physicians. Just lift the cap a bit… Is there anything from stopping an individual state from saying “Screw the AMA” and just coming up with their own standards for residencies and licencing foreign MDs to practice? I mean obviously these doctors would run into issues moving out-of-state, but other than that. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > We already have [massive importation](http://immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/Critical_Care.pdf) of foreign MDs, and it’s pretty fucking crass to pretend they don’t speak English, especially for someone like you who is already in the industry. > [@Raskolnikov](#): > > …my Indian doctor speaks perfect english, it is after all the language of most university and business in India Isn’t medical school in India conducted entirely in English? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > …I guess I don’t understand what you mean by “French doctors don’t get paid”, though. He means that French doctors are paid by the patient and the government reimburses the patient; it doesn’t pay the doctor directly like in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778/46 "2011-08-09T18:06:46Z")
Oh. I get it now. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-enough-medical-training-for-uhc/591778.md?page=2)