Thank you!

Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been following the blog during this campaign for your support, comments and feedback. We ran an excellent campaign for the AMA Board of Trustees, but alas, we did not win. The nice part is knowing that we did not lose either. Running a campaign in our House of Delegates was an amazing experience, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get more involved in organized medicine. This was a great opportunity to meet so many people who share the common goal of ensuring that our patients get access to the quality care they deserve.

Thank you to all of you who took the time to read the blog. In running this campaign, one goal was to bring up what is currently happening in Washington, DC, and use current events to advance the debate of what needs to happen to improve health care delivery in this country. I hope you found this page to be informative, whether you checked it out once or on a regular basis. Now is a very exciting time in health care. If we can find a way to achieve health care reform, we can make a lasting impact on our great nation. If not, it may be a decade or more before we get the chance again. I ask that you do whatever you can to help us achieve the change we desperately need.

I would be remiss if I did not give a special thanks to Anjali Dogra for helping to maintain this site. And thank you to all of you who helped with this campaign, in whatever role that you played.

Sincerely,

Erick A. Eiting, MD, MPH

Kennedy Health Bill Mandates Public Plan, Coverage for All

Senator Kennedy has released a preliminary draft of his health care plan. His plan calls for a public plan similar to the one suggested by the Obama Administration with reimbursements at 10 percent above Medicare, a universal mandate for coverage and an employer mandate for offering insurance to employees and their dependents, up to age 26. Those who cannot afford coverage would be exempt from penalties, as would small businesses who cannot afford coverage for their employees. The bill would also increase the cutoff for Medicaid eligibility to 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Though certainly a step in the right direction in terms of expanding coverage, tying physician payments to Medicare without eliminating the SGR and fixing the reimbursement mechanism would drive physicians out of practice

Five Big Health-Care Dilemmas

Senator Max Baucus is confident that Congress will pass legislation by the end of the year and finally achieve comprehensive health reform. This Time article asks some questions that have yet to be answered, such as how much will it cost, will we be able to cover everyone and how can we afford a plan when we are already struggling with debt and a suffering economy.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or to discuss any of the issues here.
Regards,
Erick Eiting, MD, MPH

RealClearPolitics - An Alternative to Obamacare

The Republicans have been accused of obstructing efforts to acheive health care reform in this country. This is a response to that criticism and a discussion of the Patients' Choice Act which aims to make coverage more affordable, prevent cherry picking and strengthen the safety net.

CNN-Commentary: Big risk in health care reform plan

This article discusses the Stanford University Center on Longevity survey that petitioned Americans to find out exactly what they want in a health care plan. It found that about two-thirds of Americans are happy with their health plan and want to keep it. It is important to also consider that most people who would participate in such a survey are more likely to be insured, but the point that many Americans want to keep their plan stresses the need for several different options for health insurance.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or to discuss any of the issues above.
Regards,
Erick Eiting, MD, MPH

Obama calls for Urgency in Passing Healthcare Bill

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124222450871115401.html

There is a clear push to get health care reform locked down by the end of the year. Earlier this week, AMA President-Elect James Rohack joined President Obama, pledging a commitment to reduce spending for health care delivery by 1.5 percent over the next decade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/business/economy/13leonhardt.html?_r=1&ref=politics

Speaking of cost, the Obama health plan is estimated to cost around $120 billion, and the money to realize his plan is nowhere to be found. This article discusses the recommendation to limit the tax deduction for employer-provided health insurance.

AMA to President Obama: All Americans should have access to affordable, high quality health care services

The times demand and the nation expects that we, as health care leaders, work with you to reform the health care system.
Here is the joint statement that several health care organizations sent to President Obama, including our AMA.

Regards,
Erick A. Eiting, MD, MPH

Health-Care Providers Pledge to Try to Curb Costs
Major health-care providers will pledge to Obama that they will work to reduce cost increases in the health-care system by $2 trillion over the next decade.

Obama, Interest Groups to Launch Health Reform Plan
Big news is coming.

Regards,
Erick A. Eiting, MD, MPH

The Health Care Debate

This Miami Herald editorial suggests it's time to begin the health care debate. I disagree. The health care debate is already well underway. The article mentions that 21 percent of Americans had difficulty paying for health care in 2008. We still have 47 million uninsured in this country. Clearly, the economic downturn is highlighting the need for health care reform.

Senator Daschle discusses his thoughts on a Public Health Plan in this Newsweek article.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or to discuss any of these issues.

Regards,
Erick A. Eiting, MD, MPH