Would the right people become doctors if they were paid less but given more other rewards such as appreciation from patients?

If that were the case you would find more people going into the lower paying but more personal specialties like pediatrics, family practice, geriatrics, etc. instead of the higher paying but more impersonal surgical specialties.

Communist regimes force people to work or face the firing squad. You wouldn't get to choose your career.

No, I'm in the medical field and as much time as you have to put in alone is something that I need a large salary to be a reward for it. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do but it wouldn't be worth putting another 6 years down just to make the same as some average person.

The number of people who apply at medical schools gets larger every year.

Yet we still put sharp limits on the number of doctors produced, despite having a need for more doctors.

Doctors would likely work for less pay if they were absolved of liability .

My friend is a private practice MD and has made it clear that his malpractice insurance is his single , largest expense .

I doubt very much that being absolved of liability will improve the quality of care but if reducing a doctor's compensation is your goal ,,,, that's the way to achieve it .

A person doesn't spend years in schools, years as an intern and thousands of dollars in debt for "appreciation". LOL

no decent doctor does it JUST for the money. In fact, that question is on the entrance exam of all medical schools,.

Also, given the number of people who do not pay their medical bills because they think it ought to be Free, doctors do not make all that much money nowdays anyway.

Next week is the first of the month. Try telling your landlord that your boss didn't pay you enough to pay your rent, but he sure as heck told you he appreciated you coming in to work.

If someone's passion is to be a doctor, they will be one. I think the only thing that may make them reconsider is the price of education and the fact that during their internships, they will be expected to treat patients even when they haven't had enough sleep. Do you want to be treated for your medical emergency by someone who has been very sleep deprived for the past several months? I don't. And I don't think it's a good thing to expect of doctors, or any employee. We have laws protecting employees. And we have laws to make sure truck drivers have enough sleep so they are safe to drive, yet we expect those giving us medical care to go days and weeks without getting enough sleep. That is insane. I think even if I had the aptitude to be a doctor, this fact would cause me to think twice. And then don't forget the price of going to medical school. I think those choosing a medical career go into more debt that almost any other student.

You have to have huge balls to become a doctor in the United States. It’s a very litigious country. This is one of the reasons they want you to have health insurance.

Sadly appreciation doesn't pay the bills nor does it lower student debt