Anticipation of Health Care Reform Fuels An Increase in New Medical Schools
The New York Times reports that dozens of new medical schools are opening across the country, at a rate of growth unseen in over thirty years. These proposed new schools are banking upon a perfect storm of aging baby boomers, a high rate of impending physician retirements, and anticipation of health care reform that, if and when it is passed, will introduce a multitude of new insured patients to the health care system. The influx of new schools is fueling debate on the benefits of adding physicians to the marketplace. Many believe that more physicians will lead to improved care in under-serviced areas, while others predict the result will instead be over-saturation of wealthy areas which already have an adequate supply of physicians.
