Based on a survey conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in September 14, 2009's New England Journal of Medicine, 62.9 percent of nationwide physicians support proposals to expand health care coverage that include having a public and private health insurance option. These options would allow people under the age of 65 to have the choice between either enrolling in a new public health insurance plan known as the Public Option Exchange (similar to Medicare) or in private conventional health plans.
For a complete breakdown of the survey, visit:
http://www.rwjf.org/healthreform/product.j... When I first attended the Healthcare Advocacy Summit on January 17, 2009, I embraced Healthcare Reform based on information shared at that Summit by experts of research, physicians, and certainly because of personal stories about how cruel healthcare insurers are currently in America.
Since then I have been following physicians' response to Healthcare Reform so I am not surprised that the support is as high as it is and I trust it will be higher. Some of the benefits for Healthcare Reform for physicians are:
- Hundreds of physicians who had to leave practice because of health insurance costs, restrictions, and liability will be able to return to practice. The increase in physicians providing healthcare will significantly affect improving healthcare in America. These are qualified and competent physicians of various specialties who simply could not afford to stay in practice.
This return of physicians will help shift the focus on to prevention. Prevention works despite what the healthcare lobbyists claim. I can speak honestly that receiving preventive care and having a wellness plan that is rooted in prevention, has kept me out of the hospital for a longer period then when I did not practice prevention. The more education and regular check-ups that Americans can afford and have, the less emergency/crises medical procedures will be needed. For years, prevention has been the focus, but all of a sudden, it is being reported as not beneficial. Think of it this way; it makes more sense to know your blood pressure is high and what steps you need to take to bring it down and watch it to be sure it does not sky-rocket, then it does to show up in the emergency room with massive stroke symptoms or death. It is less costly, too.
- Physicians would rather focus on prevention and get people access to care beginning with children who will grow up into adults practicing prevention.
- A physician re-entry program similar to how nurses had to be recruited during a national nurse shortage, is a win-win plan. These physicans will be qualified and able to provide quality care and/or mentor in specialty areas.
- Physicians will be attracted into rentry also by the loan-forgivenness program and this will also attract and help more students enter into and afford the study of medicine.
- With more physicians providing care, costs drop due to competitiveness. Consumers can have greater choices to shop around for the best care.
- The Healthcare Reform will make it possiblefor a more user-friendly information system whereby office staff can utilize a universal billing system, etc. that will keep software cost minimal. This savings will pass down to patients.
- The information system will also allow physicians to make more accurate diagnoses and treatments which will save medical procedure costs over the long run. Not to mention lives!
- A majority of physicians (58%) also support expanding Medicare eligibility to those between the ages of 55 and 64.
When we have a plan that is helping physicians provide quality healthcare, we all benefit. For this reason, we must not let the healthcare lobbysists win over the passing of a Healthcare Reform bill. We must continue to stay on top of what is going on in healthcare and keep encouraging our Congress to pass Healthcare Reform.
You can contact your Congressperson and urge them to stay focused on the real healthcare issues and support Healthcare Reform by visiting
www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov. Can you take a few minutes to do this today?
Evangelist Agnes B. Levine is the Author of: "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 13 978-0-9754612-0-4
Available NOW at Amazon.com and at the Baltimore Book Festival 9/27/09
Posted By: agnes levine
Wednesday, September 16th 2009 at 2:07PM
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