But I am very disappointed that so many strong elements of the
House bill will probably never see the light of day. For example, the
House proposed rolling out reform in 2013. By pushing the date back to
2014, the Senate leaves open the very real possibility that
if conservatives win the White House in 2012, and Republicans
have a majority in Congress, they could repeal reform before it ever becomes a
reality. (If reform was scheduled to begin on Janaury 1,
2013, a new conservative administration would only have two months to try to
undo the legislation before taking office.)
In addition, the lack of a public option makes it less likely
that insurance will be affordable. And the fact that, under Senate
legislation, the states will be regulating insurers means that
regulation will be spotty, at best. The House bill raised fees
for primary care physicians who treat Medicaid patients to Medicare
levels. TheSenate
bill does not. Today, those doctors are paid 30% less than they
would be paid if providing the same services to Medicare
patients. This is why Medicaid patients often have a hard time finding
doctors . . .
At this point, we can only hope that over the next three years, new
legislation will be introduced, and that the current bill will be
strengthened and amended. Much will depend on what happens outside of
Washington. We need a reform movement on the ground -- something
comparable to the civil rights movement.
I would call on physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals, including hospital administrators, to set their self-interest aside, step back, take a look at what we need to do to create an affordable, sustainable, high-quality, patient-centered health care system. There is a consensus among those who have studied the problem: we over-treat and we over-pay for too many products and services that provide relatively little benefit to the patient. At the same time, we under-pay for the most important services: preventive care and management of chronic diseases.
Most patients don't fully understand what is wrong with our system. They assume that more care -- and more advanced, high-tech care and more diagnostic testing -- is always better care. But patients trust doctors. Physicians need to speak out and begin a long process of education, explaining that in health care, higher quality and lower costs go hand in hand. Any reform movement is, at bottom, a "teach-in". To paraphrase Marshall Ganz, reform is a matter of moving minds from where they are now to where they could be.
People will better understand the problems inherent in our current health care system after reading your 2006 book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much . Or, they can watch the documentary (by the same name) based on your book that was shown on Bill Moyers' Journal in September. Moyers says, "Money-Driven Medicine is one of the strongest documentaries I have seen in years and could not be more timely." Anything you'd like to add, Maggie?
I would call on physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals, including hospital administrators, to set their self-interest aside, step back, take a look at what we need to do to create an affordable, sustainable, high-quality, patient-centered health care system. There is a consensus among those who have studied the problem: we over-treat and we over-pay for too many products and services that provide relatively little benefit to the patient. At the same time, we under-pay for the most important services: preventive care and management of chronic diseases.
Most patients don't fully understand what is wrong with our system. They assume that more care -- and more advanced, high-tech care and more diagnostic testing -- is always better care. But patients trust doctors. Physicians need to speak out and begin a long process of education, explaining that in health care, higher quality and lower costs go hand in hand. Any reform movement is, at bottom, a "teach-in". To paraphrase Marshall Ganz, reform is a matter of moving minds from where they are now to where they could be.
People will better understand the problems inherent in our current health care system after reading your 2006 book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much . Or, they can watch the documentary (by the same name) based on your book that was shown on Bill Moyers' Journal in September. Moyers says, "Money-Driven Medicine is one of the strongest documentaries I have seen in years and could not be more timely." Anything you'd like to add, Maggie?
(If your readers want to know more, they should check out my three posts about the legislation titled "The Glass Half-Empty, Half-Full"-- parts 1, 2, and 3 on www.healthbeatblog.org.
We'll look to your website for updates on the evolving legislation. And, thank you so much for talking with me, Maggie. It was a pleasure.
We'll look to your website for updates on the evolving legislation. And, thank you so much for talking with me, Maggie. It was a pleasure.
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