Readers have seen my ambivalence about high physician compensation. Doctors have a hard job, they run up medical debt, they work hard at an emotionally challenging job. So they deserve to be paid well. But how well? The high pay, particularly for certain specialties, is a factor in our excessive health spending and health insurance costs. A new report describes some of that compensation. The report focused on 2026 compensation for specialists, who averaged pay increases above inflation, led by rheumatology at 10.4%. Child psychiatry rose 9.7% as did adult primary care with obstetrics and infectious disease was 9.6%. Adult medical specialties rose an average of 7.2%. Over the last five years compensation has risen over 25%. So we are seeing rapid growth in physician compensation, and other sources report higher utilization. The combination is why health spending is rising at a torrid pace, and is reflected in health insurance premiums. (SC Report)
