First—I feel like putting every occupation in the same pile and deciding are you for or against licensing isn’t helpful? I personally don’t need licensed lawnmower, but I would very much prefer licensed doctor. The cost of mistake in two occupations differs a lot and can be used for a threshold which jobs should require a license.
Second—there should be a difference between doing a thing to yourself (argument can be made even that here we shouldn’t have any limits), doing things for free to your friends/relatives with their full knowledge of your skill level and experience (most of the non life-threatening things can probably be allowed here) and selling your craft for money.
I get the same instinct, but on reflection I don’t endorse it. How much work in ensuring doctor quality is state-level required licensing actually accomplishing, as opposed to medical school graduation, residency completion, malpractice insurance premiums, employers (for anyone who doesn’t run their own practice), and legal action (including lawsuits as well as criminal negligence and similar charges)? For whatever part may be additional and due to licensing, how does that stack up against the effects of restricting the supply of doctors, increasing the price of medical care, and reducing the ability of patients to receive telemedical care or consultations from experts or specialists who happen to be in another state?
Even if there is a licensing regime of some sort, I think there should be automatic reciprocity among all US states and territories, and between the US and a list of other countries with reasonably comparable or better standards. Same logic should be applied to drug and medical device approvals.
Two things to note.
First—I feel like putting every occupation in the same pile and deciding are you for or against licensing isn’t helpful? I personally don’t need licensed lawnmower, but I would very much prefer licensed doctor. The cost of mistake in two occupations differs a lot and can be used for a threshold which jobs should require a license.
Second—there should be a difference between doing a thing to yourself (argument can be made even that here we shouldn’t have any limits), doing things for free to your friends/relatives with their full knowledge of your skill level and experience (most of the non life-threatening things can probably be allowed here) and selling your craft for money.
I get the same instinct, but on reflection I don’t endorse it. How much work in ensuring doctor quality is state-level required licensing actually accomplishing, as opposed to medical school graduation, residency completion, malpractice insurance premiums, employers (for anyone who doesn’t run their own practice), and legal action (including lawsuits as well as criminal negligence and similar charges)? For whatever part may be additional and due to licensing, how does that stack up against the effects of restricting the supply of doctors, increasing the price of medical care, and reducing the ability of patients to receive telemedical care or consultations from experts or specialists who happen to be in another state?
Even if there is a licensing regime of some sort, I think there should be automatic reciprocity among all US states and territories, and between the US and a list of other countries with reasonably comparable or better standards. Same logic should be applied to drug and medical device approvals.