Doctors are entitled to a reasonable wage according to their skills, training and what the public is willing to pay for their services. No different than anybody else in that regard. If Medicare is going to pay less, the doctors can opt out. When and if those rates become the norm, well, things are just tough all over.
My point about the middle class is, I repeat, virtually EVERYONE thinks they ARE the "middle class". That would include many doctors, lawyers and indian chiefs. Logically, this cannot be if it's the "middle".
If we are going to add "benefits" to the working mans salary, then let's add "benefits" to the doctor's salaries listed above.
To put the working man's wage in a different perspective I'll cite the US Census Bureau: "Average American makes $27,590.16 a year or $13.26 an hour." I guess blue color workers make slightly more? Actually, it is difficult to nail down figures such as these, or for doctors. Many different sources measuring many different ways. Perhaps some DO calculate benefits, others not. Suffice to say, doctors make considerably more than the average American. That's just a fact, good, bad or ugly, it is what it is.