Legal Immigration Both Saves & Destroys America’s Healthcare System

National Economics Editorial ^

[Thalean]

In 1982/83 America graduated roughly 16,000 physicians. This number has barely budged since.

In 2015 America graduated just 18,705 physicians—that is, 17% more.

During the same period, America’s total population (not including the 11.1 million illegal immigrants) increased by 39%, from 231.7 million in 1982, to 322 million today.

In a closed system, we would have expected to see the physician-patient ratio deteriorate over the last few decades—but that’s not what we’ve seen.

Instead, we have more physicians than ever before. The reason? Immigration.

According to data from the Migration Policy Institute, nearly 17% of America’s 12.4 million healthcare professionals (including physicians, nurses, dentists, therapists) are immigrants to America. They more than make up for America’s training deficit...

So you’re probably wondering: who cares? The legal immigration of physicians, and medical students, is clearly a good thing, since it provides us with a better quality of life...

Of course, language barriers are a relatively minor problem when compared with the broader systemic issues caused by the legal immigration of healthcare. These are twofold: (i) the displacement of American students with more profitable foreign students, and (ii) systemic atrophy.

[Thalean]

Main points: America hasn't trained more physicians in almost 40 years, despite lots of population growth. This is because we've increasingly relied on foreign professionals.

This is good in the short term, since it meets our healthcare demands. But it's bad in the long run, since we neglect our training programs, allowing them to atrophy, which prevents them from growing. Also, fewer American students are required, denying many students good-paying jobs & educations.

This is part of the reason that the richest groups in America are East Asian & Indian immigrants: we import professionals rather than training our own people. It's not good in the long run.

[wastoute]

Twenty years ago we had to demonstrate that we could be “sensitive” to the cultures of immigrant patients. Now I imagine physicians have to demonstrate a sensitivity and knowledge of the culture of Americans.

[Pearls Before Swine]

“11.1 million illegals”

I didn’t read past that fantasy number. My guess is 30 to 40 million.