Would doctors still earn the same amount, and/or medical school still cost the same?

If the government takes over healthcare (Which it can't because Article 1 Section 8 and the 10th Amendment clearly state what the Federal Govt can and can't do), than it will be the GOVT negotiating prices with Medical Supply companies such as McKesson, Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, and Hospitals. True socialized medicine is Tax payer based. The Government can only spend what it gets from tax payers. This system in not FREE as some of you have suggested in other questions. If you have ever seen a Medicare bill and noted what was billed and what the Government actually paid, you would wonder how any hospital stay in business. Hospitals will pay their healthcare workers (Dr's, nurses, therapists, etc.) what they have coming in, minus operating costs. Your Dr. will undoubtably take a serious paycut under this system. Medical school is expensive. How many Dr's will take on a debt of 200K or more if they want to specialize, to make potentially as much as a Postal Worker? Less students may choose to go to Medical school because the profession won't sustain their debts. Less Dr's, and more people in the system means longer lines and wait periods for you. Less money equals a shorter a list of things that are going to be considered "Medically necessary". Since HR 676 and other short sighted plans pretty much abolish the Insurance Industry and make it illegal for a hospital to make a profit, there is no incentive for excellence. If Pharma is forced to work for no profit, you will see less advances in medical science. The US has traditionally been responsible for 80% of the worlds research and medications.

There have been many testamonials from physicians who have worked in the VA or under Socialized care. None paint a very rosy picture of the REALITY of taking such a drastic measure. Remember, the Government gave us the HMO. It works spiffingly if you have no medical issues. Once you get sick, you fight for every procedure and every specialist. With socialized medicine, you'll have less Dr's to do those procedures. 1 in 3 will be diagnosed with Cancer in a lifetime. That is just one disease, add heart disease, diabetes, birth defects, etc. etc. and most of us, will suffer a health issue in our lifetime. Socialized healthcare just takes our issues with private care and moves if from the hands of the Privatized sector to the government and then takes away your choice to use something else.

Is the problem Health care? Or is the nation suffering from an "Insurance" crisis? When we say that a certain percentage of Americans (about 13%) don't have healthcare, you're implying that someone is barring the door and forbidding them to see a Dr.. They can go to the Dr. What they don't have is Insurance.

PS..sure some Dr's train in other countries. Why do you think they choose to practice here?

Those programs already exist in many states, administered by the states. They generally pay for tuition, fees, and a living stipend for medical or dental or nursing school, and then require people who have received that support to work in a medically-underserved area in the state, one year of service for every year supported. Those who reneg on their obligations are required to pay back 3 times the amount of support they had received, and if they don't do that the Attorney General takes them to court, and the judgement can be not only the 3 times the amount of support but also interest at the federal rate and attorney fees.

The most likely plan I've read calls for an extension of a current government run, single pay, health care system, Medicare. If that were to happen, individuals that could afford private health care would continue to buy it so the effect on private doctors would be minimal. The net result would probably be a greater need for doctors but the overall income may drop a bit.

Everything costs money. Doctors want to get paid. To stay at the current pay rate, we can raise taxes. The problem with taxes is easy, at some point we are taxed to death. Or we can lower costs. If we enforce lower costs someone will get less (nothing is free), there will be no incentive to become a DR when you can make more a s a vet or software programmer. It's a slippery slope. It would be better if we gave tax credits fo people that want to purchase insurance like they have in Massachusetts.

BTW - If we have no malpractice suits and someone dies from negligence, then what? Also, federal care is not insurance, it is benefit that we receive like snow plowing.

Medical school should also be state sponsored. If it didn't cost so much, more people would become doctors and more doctors in the field would push the cost of medical care down on the supply curve. Expensive training and low supply is how doctors keep their fees high.

It is rather interesting that so many doctors are from other countries where their education is subsidized.

It depends on what kind of plan it is. If docs HAVE to accept whatever the government deems is "fair" pay for each procedure, expect to wait longer for a double booked, harried physician who will see you for 5 min because he or she has to cram in enough patients to pay their malpractice insurance. (Like that will go away - expecting tort reform to come along with healthcare is not happening...someone will still be sued.)

If docs have the CHOICE whether they will accept which plan they want to, then no. They'll accept the plans with the best reimbursement rates.

And I'm guessing med school will cost the same.

Since insurance and not doctors are going to be regulated more I think doctors' salaries will remain unchanged but there will be fewer cases of "bad insurance" where people receive medical services and then fail to pay for them because they don't have insurance. If everyone has insurance, then everyone will be able to pay. Medical school costs will depend on the overall state of economy - as inflation rises so will the costs of edcuation.

For a time, yes.

but with less money coming in, eventually they'll have to take a pay cut.

Med school will likely cost the same, if not more, due to fewer people wishing to become doctors due to the lower pay.

No and no. State sponsored system would be fairer and more economical. No insurance blood sucker companies in between, as at present.

Why don't you ask all the British, Irish, and Canadian doctors who have moved here to the US?

I can't see how medical school costs would change, but doctors pay? Oh yeah baby.