Last Wednesday, the American Medical Association announced plans to publicly oppose President Obama’s health care reform. The AMA, a powerful 250,000-member physicians’ group, is against a government-sponsored health care option, which it claims will restrict patients’ choices by driving out private insurers. It went on to say that a public plan would also lead to “an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.”
Maybe I’m confused, but I thought this is precisely the situation we find ourselves in now, hence the need for an alternative.
More than 44 million Americans are uninsured and another 38 million of us are underinsured. Those of us who fall into these categories often forgo medical appointments, preventive care, screenings, and follow-up visits, which result in more late-stage diagnoses and worsening medical conditions. In turn, this places a significant financial burden on the system.
When uninsured Americans get sick, for example, they head straight to the emergency room. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, the uninsured are 30 to 50 times more likely to be hospitalized for unavoidable conditions. And about 20 percent of uninsured Americans rely on emergency rooms as their primary source of care.
This increasing dependence on emergency-room medicine, coupled with the poor management, administrative costs, and inefficiencies of our current health care system, is costing everyone. Those without insurance end up paying more upfront, if they can pay at all, while folks with coverage are watching their premiums rise (between 5 and 10 percent in 2009, experts estimate). What’s even more disturbing is that the United States spends more on health care than most industrialized nations, yet we have one of the highest numbers of uninsured residents. Clearly, what we got ain’t working.
The president unveiled his plans for health care reform while on the campaign trail, and his critics wasted no time tearing it apart. They referred to his government-sponsored option as “big brother-esque,” yet offered little in the way of alternatives. What do these folks propose that we do about the tens of millions of Americans without health insurance? Or the rising costs for people with coverage? Instead, those opposed to the idea of universal care, such as the AMA, throw around terms like “socialized medicine” in a poorly veiled attempt to incite fear in Americans who support free-market capitalism. It’s as if the Obama critics want us to believe that the communist fairy is just waiting in the lurks to turn our nation into a government-run camp.
As far as the AMA is concerned, that seems to have been its M.O. from way back. Since the ’60s, the group has been vocal about its opposition to government-involved health care regulation. According to a story published last week, in 1961, the group attempted to block Medicare, calling it a varying form of totalitarianism. Word? Medicare? That program that provides health coverage for the elderly and the disabled? Wow.
More recently, during the Clinton administration, the AMA allegedly spent $3 million to defeat Hillary Clinton’s universal health care proposal, opting instead to support Republican-backed policies that called for cuts in Medicare spending. And these are doctors we’re talking about here.
But today is a different and far more difficult time for our nation. Our economy is in bad shape, and a high unemployment rate means that people are rapidly losing their company-sponsored insurance. In 2007 and 2008, for instance, one in three Americans went without coverage at some point, a startling statistic that proves our all-or-nothing health care system is zero-sum game. It requires all of us to fend for ourselves amid exorbitant costs and red tape, while big companies and big organizations try to convince us that nothing good will come from a government alternative. Other nonsupporters say universal coverage will result in patients waiting for months to see a physician and that the quality of care would be subpar.
How come our only option is to keep what we have or embrace a socialist regime? This is America we’re talking about here. I’m certain that we can do better than that. What about a cross between an individual and government-sponsored policy? Something that might resemble a public-private partnership, a plan that allows those with insurance to keep what they have but gives those who can’t afford individual care some sort of coverage. Oh, wait, that’s what Obama is proposing, and his plan may be the most viable for millions of Americans.
The president is planning to address the AMA today, and I’m eager to hear what its members have to say. So far, they haven’t said much.
7 Comments
June 15, 2009 at 11:16 am
Another fantastic column, Chana. I agree with you 100 percent. The AMA has been peddling that tired old stance against universal health care for decades, which makes you wonder: “What are the doctors afraid of?” Surely they can’t be against the care of human beings, regardless of their economic status.
Keep keeping it real, gyrl. You’ve got a lot of support.
June 15, 2009 at 11:24 am
I’ll be watching too Chana! This can mean a lot for IMPACT Marketing Solutions for health care providers. I have already started getting calls from doctors who would like to ramp up their “affluent” cash paying business for fear of government funded health care.
http://www.imsmarketingsolutions.com
June 15, 2009 at 12:31 pm
The AMA members haven’t said a word ’cause they’re probably “busy” golfing. Like the last comment said “What are they afraid of?” There’s something really fishy that obviously involves money (money they get while refusing to provide a good service). I support you a 100% gyrl!!
June 17, 2009 at 3:18 am
Right on, Chana. My doc spent about 30 minutes with me last week. I could tell she was feeling a lot of pressure for going beyond the usual 7 minutes allocated by the HMO. I thanked her for it, but she said “I’m sorry to say that there won’t be primary care docs available (in Santa Cruz)for much longer..I could have made $2,000 for freezing a wart in the time we’ve talked. Most doctors coming out of school nowdays are gonna go for the money, and the insurance companies don’t want to pay for this kind of discussion time”. What we were talking about were decisions that affect my daily life: stuff I hope not to have to talk about over the phone with John Q insurance rep when my primary care doc is no longer available in this absurd “health care” system. So a few idiotas booed Obama at AMA — he should be getting used to that from the republicans. I hope he stays healthy enough to overhaul their asses! (oooh, sorry for any unwanted visuals).
June 21, 2009 at 11:13 am
Excellent story. It looks like it all comes down to one issue – money. The AMA’s concern seems to be making sure their constituents continue to get PAID. It’s unfortunate that they are willing to pursue that concern at the expense of the health and well-being of millions of Americans. What happened to “first, do no harm”? Keep shining your light Blackgyrl.
June 22, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Chana, as usual your observations and writings are dead on. I agree with you and your followers: It’s not about helping the sick and the shut-ins, and the un- and underinsured—it’s about how much money can be made, how much golf can be played, and how many pharmaceutical companies are served. It’s a system gone wild.
I’m not advocating that doctors not make money. They spend a lot of years in medical school and rack up enough medical school costs that’d choke a horse. However, the U.S. system is so uneven, so out of control, and so unfair and as usual we, the non-rich pay dearly for the excesses and for an HMO process I’ve never been able to understand.
But, it’s not just greedy doctors, and unethical pharmaceutical companies that are driving the costs of medicine and bleeding the country dry. What about the sleazy lawyers who push patients to sue for astronomical amounts of cash, even for simple things like a splinter? (My cousin in-law in Virginia is an excellent mid-wife and instructor. She’s knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated. More than twice, she’s contemplated quitting the profession because she and her husband say that the medical insurance is killing them).
But, the bottom line is the AMA wields more power than even the MTA (imagine that) and no person or entity is neither willing to give up that power, nor share the power/ benefits. Like the financial industry, the banks, and major corporations in the world of medicine, too many people would earn less money and they are not willing to give up a dollar for the good of the many.
And another thing!! whose to say that under a more socialized/civilized system we’d have to wait months before seeing a doctor. In November of 2007, I tried making an appointment with a knee specialist. I was told that the doctor could not see me until late February of 2008—of course I moved on. Only recently, my primary care doctor’s calendar was so full, I had to wait a month and a half before getting a date.
Gyrl, I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that the only road to change is anarchy by the masses. Unfortunately, history has proven that such revolution and upheaval has lead to tyranny and oppressive governments. I pray that the American people are smart enough to not be swayed by Obama’s detractors and patient enough to allow him to enact change.
August 26, 2009 at 8:37 am
Canada just announced that they will be providing an overhaul on their healthcare program, because it is BROKE! Exactly where do you think the money is going to come from to pay for Universal Health Care? Exactly what do you think you already pay into for medicaid, medicare and your local County Hospital. Take that number and double or triple it. You just don’t get it. Nothing is free!