New Steam from an Old Cauldron — The Physician-Supply Debate

This report reviews efforts to estimate and control the supply of physicians during the past century and examines the current debate among experts, who have made a wide range of projections of the number of physicians needed over the next 20 years. Some experts believe the United States will have a large surplus of physicians, and others predict a large shortage. In the absence of a consensus on how many doctors the country will need, new federal policies to manage the supply of physicians are unlikely.