U.S. Health-Care Crisis .. COVID-19 has been a uniquely traumatic
experience for the health workforce and for their families, pushing
them past their breaking point ..
The shortage of physicians is largely caused by population growth
and retirements. Population growth of those aged 65 and older is
projected to increase 42.4 percent from 2019 to 2034. Americans in
this age group tend to require specialty care, which they could be
hard-pressed to find with fewer physicians available. Doctors will
be aging as well. Within the next ten years, more than two in five
current physicians will be 65 years old or older. The current
average retirement age is 62, meaning many of these older physicians
will soon stop working. The shortage is exacerbated by the fact that
it takes between seven and 15 years to become a licensed physician.
The number of American physicians being trained is not growing
nearly as quickly as the number of those retiring or resigning.
Between 2010 and 2020, the number of physicians increased by only 20
percent, from 850,085 to 1,018,776. Meanwhile, in the next decade,
20 percent of physicians will be over the age of 65, entering or
nearing retirement .. (
https://tinyurl.com/2b3c3dvl )