What’s the Rx?

Re “Why the doctor won’t see you now,” Column One, Dec. 15

As a recently graduated orthopedic surgeon struggling to make ends meet in today’s medical environment, I was encouraged that someone in the media is finally starting to notice that doctors are being assaulted on all sides economically. Your article, however, focused on primary care doctors. Even specialists can’t keep up.

Surgeons are being paid less and less while our costs continue to skyrocket. Insurance companies routinely deny payment, often without a good reason. I also have a tremendous amount of student loan debt that I am not sure I can pay back.

When young people ask me if they should go into medicine, I tell them not to. Many of my colleagues do the same.

If becoming a doctor is no longer financially appealing (it’s actually the opposite), how long will it take for people to stop wanting to go to medical school? If the effort isn’t worth it, won’t we lose the best and the brightest doctors?

Sharoun Porat

Laguna Hills