As to OP, the simplest solution is to move out of the US early enough or become “poor” enough and be in a wealthy blue state by the time you get to this predicament.
I believe it is the largest industry by employment in every single state now.
That compounds the problem even further. Really fixing it would put a double digit percentage of people out of work. I'm all for it, but I can see why politicians are hesitant.
I'd love to hear what you think "really fixing it" is, please share.
I can report that all (almost all?) of the hospitals and their networks both big and small in the area I am in have had layoffs this year of admin staff and healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, etc). They have reduced bed counts, and cut programs and treatment options available. All of this was done in the name of the "affordability crisis" and is kind of like the 3rd wave of this kind of consolidation, belt-tightening behavior. And..prices haven't gone down, and they keep cutting.
Yes, a lot of physician work involves diagnoses; but it also involves getting one’s hand dirty. Hospitals are the peak of shop and factory work.
My wife, who worked as an RN in the OR is far handier with shop tools than I am as it’s time-sensitive physical labor!
Meanwhile the jobs program are all of the white collar variety; jobs that purport to support our healthcare workers includes 100% of the health insurance companies and programs.
Thanks to a generational messaging since the 1980s and 1990s, we white collar workers have wormed our way into all aspects of industry.