More government health care would hurt doctors
Published: 2009-09-30 13:10:07
Author: Newt Gingrich and Nancy Desmond | stltoday.com | September 10, 2009
One key to good health and a successful health care system for all is a sufficient pool of quality physicians.
Yet according to recent Congressional testimony by Dr. Jeffrey Harris, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP), we are facing a critical shortage. To quote his testimony, "The demand for primary care in the U.S. will grow exponentially as the nation's supply of primary care dwindles."
Doctors list a host of reasons for leaving medicine: Low reimbursement rates. Outrageous malpractice premiums to protect themselves from often-frivolous lawsuits. Escalating paperwork. The inability to make medical decisions in conjunction with patients without being overruled by bureaucrats.
So logic would have it that a Congress and president fixated on reforming America's health care model would address the urgent concerns of those on the front lines of medicine, our 780,000 physicians.
Unfortunately, if we look at the current health care proposals in the House and Senate, that assumption would be flat wrong. For example:
— Civil justice reform. The proposed legislation does nothing to address our current system of health justice, which takes too long, rewards trial lawyers at the expense of victims and drives far too many good doctors out of practice. In various states, many obstetricians no longer deliver babies, others refuse to work in emergency medicine, surgeons have ceased performing high-risk surgeries and some have even stopped working in radiology. The risk of getting sued is too great.
In addition, the threat of frivolous lawsuits often leads to defensive medicine, which not only wastes the physician's time but also is estimated to cost us as a country $100 billion to $200 billion a year.
— Payment reform. Creating another government-run program is destined to further decrease physician payments. Medicare, another government-run plan, has such poor reimbursement rates that many physicians refuse to accept it. In fact, recent reports indicate that 29 percent of Medicare recipients have difficulty finding a primary-care physician.
Full story
Published: 2009-09-30 13:10:07
Author: Newt Gingrich and Nancy Desmond | stltoday.com | September 10, 2009
One key to good health and a successful health care system for all is a sufficient pool of quality physicians.
Yet according to recent Congressional testimony by Dr. Jeffrey Harris, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP), we are facing a critical shortage. To quote his testimony, "The demand for primary care in the U.S. will grow exponentially as the nation's supply of primary care dwindles."
Doctors list a host of reasons for leaving medicine: Low reimbursement rates. Outrageous malpractice premiums to protect themselves from often-frivolous lawsuits. Escalating paperwork. The inability to make medical decisions in conjunction with patients without being overruled by bureaucrats.
So logic would have it that a Congress and president fixated on reforming America's health care model would address the urgent concerns of those on the front lines of medicine, our 780,000 physicians.
Unfortunately, if we look at the current health care proposals in the House and Senate, that assumption would be flat wrong. For example:
— Civil justice reform. The proposed legislation does nothing to address our current system of health justice, which takes too long, rewards trial lawyers at the expense of victims and drives far too many good doctors out of practice. In various states, many obstetricians no longer deliver babies, others refuse to work in emergency medicine, surgeons have ceased performing high-risk surgeries and some have even stopped working in radiology. The risk of getting sued is too great.
In addition, the threat of frivolous lawsuits often leads to defensive medicine, which not only wastes the physician's time but also is estimated to cost us as a country $100 billion to $200 billion a year.
— Payment reform. Creating another government-run program is destined to further decrease physician payments. Medicare, another government-run plan, has such poor reimbursement rates that many physicians refuse to accept it. In fact, recent reports indicate that 29 percent of Medicare recipients have difficulty finding a primary-care physician.
Full story