One could argue that the recent movement toward having routine primary care increasingly provided by bachelors-plus and masters-level professionals, such as PAs and NPs, is a response to the length and expense of doctoral-level medical training. and its impact on the supply of healthcare providers.
This exactly. My firm does a lot of work on optimal health system design and has found a strong argument--both in terms of costing and patient outcomes--for adopting a tiered care model.
(It's also part of the reason why I always choose a family practice that is housed inside an academic health team affiliated with a university and hospital.)
