In her April 23 letter to the Herald, Donna Nelson, representing the American Association of University Women, claims that women physicians earn 71 percent of men’s wages even when considering hours worked.

I question the rationale for this claim. Medicare, Medicaid and the private health-care insurers pay physicians for their work irrespective of gender. Any difference in earnings is most likely because many female doctors work fewer hours than their male counterparts.

Anthony R. Palmer

Durango