Employer Guides
for Physicians
Physician pay, benefits, and pensions at Kaiser, HCA, the VA, the UC and UT systems, and other large employers.
Large health systems and public employers each have their own pay structures, pensions, and retirement plans, and some choices you make when you’re hired, like a pension versus a defined-contribution plan, are hard or impossible to reverse.
These guides explain physician pay and benefits at Kaiser Permanente, the VA, the UC and UT systems, HCA, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Baylor Scott & White, and FQHCs, plus state plans like Iowa’s IPERS and Florida’s SUSORP, based on each employer’s published plan documents.
Start here
- 1Physician Employer Guides ComparedPensions, vesting, PSLF and pay at 11 employers side by side.
- 2VA Physician Pay & BenefitsFederal pay, pension, and PSLF for VA physicians.
- 3Kaiser Permanente Physician FinancesThe partner track and the pension.
- 4UC Pension Choice vs. Savings ChoiceThe one-time retirement election UC physicians face.
- 5UT System: TRS vs. ORPTexas’s pension versus the optional retirement program.
- 6The FQHC Physician PlaybookFTCA malpractice coverage, PSLF, and NHSC loan repayment.
Run your own numbers
All employer guides guides
Kaiser Permanente Physician Salary by Region (2026): What Each Permanente Group Pays, Specialty by Specialty
Kaiser physician pay by region from posted ranges: primary care runs from $244K in the Mid-Atlantic to $432K in SoCal. 12 specialties, 7 groups, take-home.
Mayo Clinic Physician Salary and Benefits (2026)
Mayo pays physicians a step-based salary with no bonuses. Its posted pay ranges, the no-cost pension, the 403(b) match, and what to ask before you sign.
Baylor Scott & White Physician Compensation and Benefits (2026)
Baylor Scott & White is nonprofit — so it qualifies for PSLF, unlike HCA. Texas's largest health system: the 5% match, below-market pay, and the network catch.
HCA Healthcare Physician Pay & Benefits (2026)
HCA's 401(k) match is among healthcare's best — but its for-profit status blocks PSLF. What physicians actually earn and get at the largest US hospital system.
Cleveland Clinic Physician Salary and Benefits (2026): The Salaried Model, the Pension, and What Doctors Actually Take Home
Cleveland Clinic pays physicians on salary, no productivity bonuses — plus a tenure-scaling retirement plan. What Cleveland Clinic doctors actually earn and get.
SUSORP for Florida Physicians (2026): The Retirement Plan UF, USF, and FSU Medical Faculty Are Actually In
Florida public university physicians don't choose between the FRS Pension and Investment Plan. Here is what SUSORP actually is, how it compares, and the 90-day decision you must make.
The FQHC Physician Playbook (2026): FTCA Malpractice + PSLF + NHSC
FQHC physicians get three separate federal financial benefits that stack: FTCA malpractice coverage, automatic PSLF qualification, and NHSC loan repayment. Here is the exact math.
UT System Physicians: TRS vs. ORP (2026)
Every new UT System physician gets 90 days to make one irrevocable choice: TRS or ORP. The physician-specific analysis for MD Anderson, UT Southwestern, and UTMB.
Physician Employer Guides (2026): Kaiser, VA, Mayo, HCA, UC and More Compared
The same specialty, the same salary — retirement outcomes that differ by millions. Deep dives on Kaiser, the VA, UC and IPERS, with a full comparison table.
VA Physician Pension, Pay & Benefits: The 2026 Guide
What VA physicians actually get: the FERS pension worth $1M+, Title 38 pay explained, $200K tax-free EDRP, the PSLF stack, and malpractice you never buy.
Kaiser Permanente Physician Finances (2026): The Partner Track, the Pension, and What TPMG and SCPMG Doctors Actually Get
What Kaiser physicians actually get: the 3-year partner track, the $150K TPMG buy-in, the 2%/year pension, the $72K retirement stack, and the PSLF surprise.
The UC Physician Retirement Decision (2026): Pension Choice vs. Savings Choice — and the $159,773 Cap Nobody Explains
New UC physicians get 90 days to make an irrevocable retirement election — and the pension only counts $159,773 of your salary. The complete physician-specific analysis.
IPERS for Iowa Physicians (2026): The State Pension Most Doctors Ignore — and the $360,000 Cap That Changes Everything
How IPERS works for Iowa physicians, the $360,000 compensation cap, the irrevocable IPERS vs. TIAA decision at the University of Iowa, and how it all fits into the physician retirement stack.