The elderly tend to need more medical care than the young. So as the U.S. population ages, will the nation need more doctors? The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) answers "yes" and is calling for a 30% increase in medical school enrollments. But Dr. David Goodman, a physician workforce expert at Dartmouth Medical School, says "no" and is making his case in the nation's top medical journals and media outlets. In numerous studies, Goodman and his colleagues at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice have found that places with more physicians spend more on health care and have no better outcomes or patient satisfaction scores. The AAMC's prescription, if carried out, will likely not improve the nation's health but will cost $5 billion to $10 billion a year, Goodman estimates. In the audio interview below, Goodman breaks down the costs behind training more doctors.

For more on Goodman and his research, read "'Vox Clamantis' about more M.D.'s" and "Counting all doctors." To watch a video Q&A with Goodman, click here.

Audio

• The costs of training more M.D.'s