The first time I visited Dr David Baker I was taken aback by how modest his offices were.  The surgery was located on the second floor above a bakery in Darlinghurst (an area of Sydney). His reception area had the same old publications. His receptionists were professional and polite. In all it was a modest operation.

In New York I’d grown accustomed to well-appointed medical offices. Artwork and flat-screen televisions were in reception. And the consulting rooms seemed to have quite a lot of new equipment.

In Australia, we have socialized medicine (see my earlier posting). Medicare cards are all you need to see almost any doctor. (Some doctors do charge a “gap” payment, especially on weekends, after-business-hours or for a home visit [Yes, home visits by doctors still happen in Australia]).

So a doctor’s wage in Australia is fair – placing most medical practitioners in the middle class. According to MD Salaries, a general practitioner in Australia earns US$1500 per week – or $78,000 per year.  In the USA that same doctor earns on average $266,000.

Perhaps medical practitioners in the USA are against changes to medical insurance, as they seem to have a lot to lose.