DJP Update 3-12-2010 AMA HSR Bulletin; Coalition of State Medical & National Specialty Societies letter to Congress; Lagniappe
Lots going on in Congress! We certainly do live in interesting times!
Meanwhile, here is some information from two sources. First, AMA’s Health System Reform Bulletin in part.
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From: health.system.reform.bulletin@enews.ama-assn.org
Subject: Timeline announced for health system reform legislation
Date: March 12, 2010 5:23:58 PM CST
March 12, 2010
Here’s your regular update on efforts by the American Medical Association (AMA) to work with lawmakers in reforming the nation’s health care system in a way that provides quality, affordable health care for all.
Speaker Pelosi announces timeline for reform legislation
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi informed House Democrats today that there are plans to hold a House floor vote on health system reform in the coming week, and said that members should be prepared to stay in session through next weekend and into the following week, if necessary. The House Budget Committee is scheduled to start the process on Monday, March 15, with a mark-up of the reconciliation bill scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. and conclude at midnight.
Legislative language for the reconciliation bill, which will contain amendments to the Senate-passed health system reform legislation as well as a college student aid package, has not yet been circulated. It has been widely reported that at least two provisions designed to obtain key Senate votes will be eliminated by the reconciliation bill and that the tax on high-cost health plans will be modified to apply only to individuals with incomes of more than $250,000.
Currently, the House plans to hold a single floor vote that will include the reconciliation provisions and the health reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve. After House passage, the original Senate bill will be sent to President Obama for signature and the reconciliation bill will be sent to the Senate for passage. Details on the reconciliation bill are expected to be released by the administration and House leadership on or before Monday.
At press time, the reconciliation legislative language had yet to be finalized. The AMA continues to be involved in ongoing discussions with administration officials and congressional leaders regarding necessary changes in the Independent Payment Advisory Board provisions that apply to physicians.
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Now the second source. Meanwhile, here is the letter sent to Congress from the Coalition of State Medical and National Specialty Societies:
Go to: http://www.donaldpalmisano.com/html/djp_update/coalition_djp.pdf
or you can access it from the tweet I sent out:
http://twitter.com/djpNEWS
85,000 doctors oppose #hcr #Senate bill – 3-10-2010 letter to Congress http://tinyurl.com/y9dx5we
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Excerpt from letter’s introduction:
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The undersigned state and national specialty medical societies — representing more than 85,000 physicians and the millions of patients they serve — are writing to oppose passage of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (H.R. 3590) by the House of Representatives.
The changes that were recently proposed by President Obama do not address our many concern with this legislation, and we therefore urge you to draft a more patient-centered bill that will reform the country’s flawed system for financing healthcare, while preserving the best healthcare in the world. While we agree that the status quo is unacceptable, shifting so much control over medical decisions to the federal government is not justified and is not in our patients’ best interest. We are therefore united in our resolve to achieve health system reform that empowers patients and preserves the practice of medicine — without creating a huge government bureaucracy.
There are a number of problems associated with H.R. 3590 as passed by the Senate in December, including: …….
(MORE EXCERPTS)
-undermines the patient-physician relationship and empowers the federal government with even greater authority….
-The bill is unsustainable from a financial standpoint.
-Largely unchecked by Congress or the courts, the federal government would have unprecedented authority to change the Medicare program through the new Independent Payment Advisory Board and the new Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. Specifically, these entities could arbitrarily reduce payments to physicians for valuable, life-saving care for elderly patients — …….
-The bill is devoid of proven medical liability reform measures that have been shown to reduce costs in demonstrable ways.
Our concerns about this legislation also extend to what is not in the bill. Two important issues
include:
-The right to privately contract is a touchstone of American freedom and liberty.
-For healthcare reform to be successful, Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) must be permanently repealed — something the Senate bill fails to do.
We are at a critical moment in history. America’s physicians deliver the best medical care in the world, yet the systems that have been developed to finance the delivery of that care to patients have failed. With congressional action upon us, we are at a crossroads. One path accepts as “necessary” a substantial increase in federal government control over how medical care is delivered and financed. We believe the better path is one that allows patients and physicians to take a more direct role in their healthcare decisions. By encouraging patients to own their health insurance policies and by allowing them to freely exercise their right to privately contract with the physician of their choice, healthcare decisions will be made by patients and physicians and not by the government or other third party payers.
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DJP Comment: Please read the entire letter at the link above.
Note the organizations signing the Coalition letter plus the three former presidents of AMA who are associate members of this Coalition. Only organizations that sit in the AMA House of Delegates can be full voting members in this Coalition. Consider having your organization join. Contact David Cook at Medical Association of Georgia: DCook@mag.org
Medical Association of the State of Alabama
Medical Society of Delaware
Medical Society of the District of Columbia
Florida Medical Association
Medical Association of Georgia
Kansas Medical Society
Louisiana State Medical Society
Missouri State Medical Association
Medical Society of New Jersey
South Carolina Medical Association
American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Society of Breast Surgeons
American Society of General Surgeons
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Daniel H. Johnson, Jr., MD
AMA President 1996-1997
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, FACS
AMA President 2003-2004
William G. Plested, III, MD, FACS
AMA President 2006-2007
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DJP Comment: This letter to Congress by the Coalition of State Medical & National Specialty Societies is not sent on behalf of insurance companies, lawyers, drug companies, or any other people opposed to health system reform. These organizations and individuals in the Coalition of State Medical & National Specialty Societies want health system reform done properly and they helped pass AMA policy that binds AMA. In fact, you know most of them. The message in this Coalition letter is AMA policy. Wouldn’t it be great if AMA sent such a letter! Clock continues to tick. We watch, we wait.
Spread the word to defeat the current bills being pushed through Congress. And keep reviewing the poem “If” by Kipling when people attack you personally, allege sinister motives, and refuse to deal with the facts. Remember, Santa Claus is not going to supply the funding for this disaster bill. Nor is Santa Claus going to restore your liberty to privately contract with patients without penalty. Congress will not go to a indemnity payment and allow private contracting. That would mean doctors would not have any need to beg each year about the inadequate payment by government. That would mean the folks in Congress would lose power over doctors! And it might affect their political contributions. Reality is what is written in the bill and not some fanciful dream of what it might mean or could be. Reality exists. Organized Medicine needs to stop being treated like a puppet! And it is easy to do. Just say no to the bill and state what is needed to put the patients in control with the doctor as trusted advisor. Let patients have money at risk when they make medical choices. Let information flow easily to patients so they can make those choices wisely.
Never forget that the individuals in Congress and the administration are not going to have the skills to save the life of a patient in the ER, drain the blood clot pressing on the brain of a child who was hit by a car while chasing his basketball that went into the street, help a woman deliver a baby that has the shoulder stuck in the pelvis, and the myriad of other caring events every day in the life of physicians in this great Land of Liberty. The current situation exists only because of the sanction of the victim. In this case, the doctors and patients are the victims. End the political games and let statesmanship enter the negotiations. Get rid of fear!
Lagniappe: I will be interviewed sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Central, tomorrow Saturday, most likely around 8:30 a.m. for about 20 minutes. The radio station is WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the show is “Baldy and the Blond” (Tom Kowitz and Michele Gaudin) You probably can get it on the Web if you wish to listen live. WunderRadio App on the IPhone will pick up all Internet connected radio statiions regardless where you live or you can listen via computer and Web. Go to: http://www.nola.com/wgso/ or the livefeed at: http://wgso.com/?page_id=129
The podcast most likely will be at: http://wgso.com/?cat=24
Stay well.
Donald
P.S. Stop by http://twitter.com/djpNEWS and sign up for DJPNEWS to get tweet alerts that may not make it into DJP Updates.
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Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD
Intrepid Resources® / The Medical Risk Manager Company
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