OCR Text |
Show Physicians9 Share Of Medic Dollar Shows Big Drop Physicians and dentists are getting a smaller share of the medical dollar today than they did 20 years ago. That fact was revealed by U. S. Department of Commerce data analyzed by the American Medical Association, Harold Bowman, executive director, di-rector, Utah State Medical Association, As-sociation, reported this week. In 1938 physicians received 31 cents of the medical care dollar, but the physician's share in recent re-cent years was 24 cents or 22.6 per cent less than 20 years ago. Dentists received 13 cents of the medical care dollar in 1938 but their share dropped to 10 cents in 1958. The study shows $16.4 billion was spent for medical care by Americans in 1958, an average of $95 a person. However, this represents just 5.6 per cent of the $293 billion spent by Americans Ameri-cans that same year for all goods and services. "We spent more for recreation and more for tobacco and alcoholic alco-holic beverages than for medical care in 1958, and continue to do so in a typical year," Mr. Bowman Bow-man reported. The total consumer expenditures expendi-tures for medical care in 1958 showed spending for hospitals totalled $4.3 billion, physicians $3.9 billion, drugs $3.3 billion, dentists $1.7 billion, health insurance in-surance $1.4 billion, opthalmic products such as eyeglasses and supplies $1.1 billion. Another $769 million went for osetopathic services, the private duty nurses, chiropractors, chiropodists chi-ropodists and other curative or healing services. Items showing a major proportionate propor-tionate increase include hospitals, hospi-tals, which received 17 cents of the medical care dollar in 1938 and 26 cents in 1958. This rise was attributed to expension of hospital service, their greater use by the public and increases in equipment and staff. After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser Ben Franklin. |