We Can Pay Doctors as Much as We Want

Felix Salmon has a good critique of Steve Brill's healthcare opus in Time Magazine. But I think he buries the most important point:

Would doctors be paid less, under such as system? Possibly. But that shouldn’t prevent the change from happening, and maybe the government should simply step in to top up doctors’ salaries where necessary. At the very least, I think it’s incumbent upon people like Steve Brill to say exactly how much they think doctors should be paid, and how much is too little. Because of all the problems with U.S. healthcare costs, the problem of underpaid doctors is never likely to be anywhere near the top of the list.

I like the idea of letting doctors from other countries treat sick people in the United States in exchange for money. But offering favorable student loan conditions or straight cash to doctors would probably work too.