By Caitlin Owens, January 15, 2020
Emergency doctors — which are at the center of the surprise billing debate — saw their compensation go up more than any other physician specialty between 2013 and 2017.
Why it matters: This translates into higher health care costs, which we all pay for through our taxes, premiums and out-of-pocket spending.
By the numbers: Overall, doctors saw a 16.1% pay raise in this period — with a handful of specialties leading the way.
The big picture: Surprise medical bills obviously hit their recipients hardest, but economists argue that they also improve doctors’ leverage over insurers.
- A recent study in Health Affairs found that four specialties that are often out-of-network — anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists and assistant surgeons — raise employer insurance spending by 3.4%…