Tom Price: “you remember the old Peanuts cartoon strip, and the booth with the sign on it that said, ``The doctor is in''? Well, too…”

“you remember the old Peanuts cartoon strip, and the booth with the sign on it that said, ``The doctor is in''? Well, too many times these days nobody is in at the doctor's office, and we are not currently improving the situation. Many doctors are being forced to shut their doors and leave the practice of medicine due to skyrocketing insurance premiums. In addition, medical schools are seeing fewer young people apply, not as many people interested in becoming doctors. This week we will be talking a lot about problems and solutions to the challenges we face in health care, and a few questions we must answer are: Where will our doctors come from? What can we do to increase the number and maintain the quality of those wanting careers in medicine? Skyrocketing medical school costs raise critical questions. Is the cost of medical schools preventing some of our best and brightest from choosing to become a doctor? How will this affect the quality of care for all patients? Mr. Speaker, patient choice is about being able to choose the doctor that is right for you. If bright young people are not going into medicine, we all lose. Let us work to improve our system so patients will be able to have the right to choose the doctor that is best for them. ____________________”