Trying hard to figure it out

[methoddan]

There's a Marketwatch article "Ten most overpaid jobs in the U.S." that talks about orthodontists at #4. I can't post links yet.

Here it is:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10 ... -in-the-us

[klobird]

Thanks for referring the site dan...very interesting, and of note--only 1 or 2 rebuttals referring to orthodontists...

[ArchWired28]

Here it is:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10 ... -in-the-us

U.S. dental schools have long been criticized for keeping orthodontists in artificially low supply to keep their income up.

Now, this IS interesting.

[fosterp]

The answer is simple...free market.

Your comparing two health care businesses but they are actually quite different. Orthodontists provide a service that ultimately is cosmetic. Yes we all know there are definite health reasons for getting braces, but the bottom line is most of us can survive without straight teeth. However when you are talking about a physicians office, your looking at health issues that span a much larger scope. People might be able to ignore crooked teeth but they cannot ignore when they are throwing up blood.

What this means is you have two very different groups of consumers determining the market price for health services. The group of people who seek orthodontic treatment will on average be able to afford a higher price for labor than say, a lower income family who relies on state benefits for health care.

[klobird]

Hey fosterp--you are absolutely right on the mark--that's what it all boils down to.