The Current Physician Shortage Has Roots Going Back to the 1980s

June 19, 2024 | ACSH

There is considerable debate about the causes of today’s physician shortage, from big pharma and insurance to mismanagement within hospitals. For the American Council on Science and Health, Alex Berezow, PhD, drilled deeper than these current—and perhaps by now obvious—reasons for burnout to consider the historic systemic changes in government and academia that may have contributed to the shortage we find ourselves in.

An analysis from the Niskanen Center focused on key decisions made between 1980 and 2005 when it was believed that the US would soon have too many physicians:

1. Medical school enrollments were capped, while federal financial assistance for students decreased and residency requirements increased.
2. Few new medical schools opened.

Those actions severely limited the number of physicians who might have been hitting their stride now. A negative precedent was set—for example, Medicare continues to underfund residency programs today.

Additionally, the Niskanen Center analysis noted the US has always made it difficult for doctors from other countries to work here, requiring additional residencies and training for even the most qualified.

As the government and academia made decisions that set us on that path decades ago, they must think creatively again to address these systematic challenges now.