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Dialogue: Will training more doctors improve healthcare?

By The New York Times  
   June 24, 2013

With the expansion of coverage under the Affordable Care Act set to take effect next year, the United States is facing an alarming physician shortage. We don't have enough physicians to treat insured patients right now. What happens when there are an estimated 30 million more insured patients in 2014? The American Association of Medical Colleges estimates that by 2015, the shortage of doctors across all specialties will quadruple, to more than 60,000. By 2025, that number will reach a staggering 130,000. Last year there were 45,266 medical school applicants competing for 19,517 seats. Thousands of qualified people every year can't get into medical school. This will be partly addressed by plans to open new medical schools and expand existing ones.

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