Physicians Express Concern Over Speaker Pelosis Health Care Bill
Dallas TXU.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-32) hosted health care legislation briefings for physicians and surgeons in the 32nd District of Texas on Monday November 2. Following House Democrats introduction of a 1990-page health care overhaul bill (H.R. 3962) last Thursday Congressman Sessions held two physician listening sessions on Monday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and Baylor Health Care System.
Congress is speeding to change the entire health care delivery system without regard for the firsthand knowledge of physicians in America" Sessions said. The result of Speaker Nancy Pelosis government takeover of health care will be higher costs fewer options and interference in the physician-patient relationship."
I value the opinions of physicians in North Texas" stated Sessions and I am grateful to Joel Allison President of Baylor Health Care System and Phil Wentworth Interim President of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas for their leadership in hosting my health care policy meetings with physicians. Physicians have helped inform my views on the current government-run health care plan as well as the solutions I support and I am grateful for their real-world perspective on Congress plan to overhaul every Americans health care."
Joined by Dr. John T. Gill Chairman of the Texas Health Care Task Force Sessions outlined his priorities for health care reform: universal coverage full access cost effectiveness and innovation. Additionally Sessions noted how the health care overhaul bill will affect the physicians practices including patient choice and access.
As physicians in North Texas we appreciate the efforts of Congressman Sessions to reach out to the physicians of the 32 District" said Dr. John T. Gill. With 90 agreement among the Texas Health Care Task Force physicians would like to see a reform package that covers more people with high quality health insurance while preserving patient choice and bending the cost curve downward. And with greater than 90 agreement we physicians believe that the proposed reform bill will not only diminish the quality of care in America but will cost greater than if we did nothing at all. This is just bad public policy."
What is astonishing to me is the lack of recognition from President Obama and the Democratic leadership that the American Medical Association is not the representative voice of physicians in the United Sates of America" said Dr. Scott Holliday an anesthesiologist in Dallas. The membership of the American Medical Association represents only 18 of the practicing physicians and this is more in line with a whisper rather than a voice. I am deeply concerned that this type of government take over of health care will lead to rationing of health care and limit patient access to specialty medical care."
It is clear that the Obama administration and the Democrats want a health care reform bill to pass so that they may claim victory on this issue never mind the cost and never mind whether it actually solves any problems. Unfortunately the bills under consideration as they currently exist are prohibitively expensive and dont even come close to accomplishing what they set out to do" stated Dr. Joe Monk an anesthesiologist in Dallas.
Based on physician and patient input Sessions supports common-sense health care reforms including tax incentives for health coverage greater pooling mechanisms and tort reform to reduce costs. Sessions also believes that health care coverage should be portable across state lines and from job-to-job and that patients should maintain access to the doctors and hospitals of their choice. For more information on the House Republican health care reform bill visit
www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare.
