they are the academic types who are after a whole different level of prestige (typically not financial).

but you're right in general you need to incentivize docs to work and not make it the VA

With that said most surveys from Canadian physicians are positive and in general (not always) most physicians there make more in Canada than their US colleagues so if you still pay your physicians well they can still perform adequately even in a single payer or "nationalized" health care model (imo).