I guess you haven't used the medical system recently - despite monumental efforts by doctors, the standard of care is actually horrific when you take the whole system into account. It has turned into a system of keeping patients alive rather than delivering optimal outcomes, and much like the legal system, if you have someone knowledgeable who can put in considerable time on your case your outcomes will be a lot better.
Programmers were definitely elite at one point. The gulf between them and the medicine kids has grown a lot.