Rent hikes forcing out city (Calgary, Canada) doctors

Rent hikes forcing out city doctors:

"'It's scary,' said Dr. Linda Slocombe, president of the Calgary and Area Physicians' Association, who notes that doctors, unlike most other small businesses, can't raise their prices to offset rising costs. 'In another two or three years we're going to have a real drastic shortage of family doctors.'

The study, which was commissioned by CHR last summer but only became public during a recent meeting of Calgary family physicians, comes as the city already struggles with a doctor shortage.

An estimated 200,000 Calgarians don't have a regular family physician, a problem that has been compounded by at least 41 doctors who have closed their practice in recent years.

Experts say the physicians are retiring or leaving to pursue other jobs in medicine, where they earn a good salary and don't have the hassle of operating an office."

Posting this in keeping with my "warts and all" policy of reporting the good and the bad of other systems.

BUT, does any of this not apply to PCP's in America? Can't raise our prices? The hassle of operating an office? (And they don't even have to deal with dozens of private health insurers, so they are mainly talking about the other hassles.)

Cheers

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