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COVERAGE: AMA's Voice for the Uninsured Comes to Congress
The AMA brought its Voice for the Uninsured to the halls of Congress today, where they unveiled new print, broadcast, and online ads (see below). At a press conference today with Senator Ron Wyden (R-OR) and Representative Michael C. Burgess, MD (R-TX), AMA President Nancy Neilsen, MD, called on members of Congress to commit to covering all Americans next year:
Without action from Congress and the president, the uninsured problem is likely to get worse very soon. Most privately insured Americans get health insurance through an employer, and their coverage is at risk as unemployment rises. In fact, the most common reason patients have become uninsured this year is because they or someone in their family lost their job. We urge all members of Congress and the next president to stand with us in our commitment to get all Americans covered.
Both Wyden and Burgess have been actively promoting bipartisan discussions of health reform in the 110th Congress.
Two bipartisan bills co-sponsored by Burgess have passed committee and are headed to the House floor. H.R. 2583 would provide financing for residency programs in rural and growing areas. H.R. 6908 would require health plans to notify consumers of any limitations or exclusions of health benefits at the point of sale.
Wyden is the lead sponsor of the Healthy Americans Act (S. 334) a bipartisan bill to cover all Americans. Yesterday, the Lewin Group released an analysis suggesting the bill's reforms would benefit middle class Americans—with average savings of $300 a year in medical costs for families that currently have insurance. The CBO has also looked at the Healthy Americans Act, concluding in its analysis that the legislation would be budget neutral in its first year and money saving thereafter.
For more on the AMA and it's Voice for the Uninsured campaign, check out our some of our previous posts: here, here, and here. For one of our favorite discussions of the Healthy American Acts, check out the video in this classic post.
UPDATE: Courtesy of Senator Wyden's office you can now download video of the event here (use RealPlayer to view).
Physicians doing their part
"I took an oath to help all patients". This is a very noble creed. Unfortunately the medical community is not doing their part. Since most physicians easily earn $500k and up anually, why don't they donate one day a week PRO BONO for the poor. It would not hurt them financially and would would be sufficient to help those in need. It is real easy for the AMA to take a stance to "let Government foot the bill". If the "oath to help all patients" is sincere, then they should do their part. Why should the retired and middle income Americans be asked to foot the bill when the physicians can well afford to donate part of their income?
"Since most physicians
"Since most physicians easily earn $500k and up anually..."
This statement is patently false. One need only search the internet to find various estimates of average physician salaries. Very FEW physicians even come close to the figure stated above. Those few that do are most likely physicians in surgical specialties. Even those surgeons are unlikely to NET those types of salaries, especially when considering business expenses, the rising costs of malpractice insurance, the astronomical debt accrued during school/training, etc. For a more realistic number, check out: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/People_with_Jobs_as_Physicians_%2F_D.... I'll admit however, that this number may not apply to everyone, depending on the particular specialty, geographical location, level of experience, etc. Bottom line, there are many different ways of estimating physician salaries. Simple, fantastical statements like the one above do a disservice to the entire discussion regarding public health concerns in our country.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a fantasy image of the "rich physician," most likely influenced by TV and movies. The reality is quite far removed from this indeed.
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