DiagnosticsCoalition To Protect Patients' Rights Urges Congress To Slow Down Health Reform And Do It Right
Dr. Donald Palmisano, former president of the American Medical Association and current spokesman for the Coalition to Protect Patients" Rights (Coalition) and over forty doctors from across the country today urged Members of Congress to slow down health system reform and do it right. The Coalition held a press conference at the National Press Club to urge legislators to put patients first when developing a system overhaul.
"The healthcare system is never closed in the United States. Hospitals never have a holiday and there are no vacations for Emergency Rooms. There are always patients who need care and we must ensure that care is always available," said Dr. Donald Palmisano. "We are very concerned about the rush to pass healthcare legislation - we want Congress to take their time and do it right. When I was performing surgery, I wasn"t worried about finishing the operation quickly, I was concerned about getting the job done right. Lives depended on it. Now, we"re asking Congress to take their time and do health reform right. Lives are depending on it."
Also participating in the press conference was Dr. Todd Williamson, a neurologist from Georgia and the president of the Medical Association of Georgia. In addition to serving as a member of the Coalition to Protect Patients" Rights, Dr. Williamson is leading a group of 11 state, specialty, and county medical associations who are speaking out against key elements of the tri-committee bill.
"We believe that America"s physicians deliver the best medical care in the world and we are united in our resolve to preserve the patient-physician relationship," Dr. Todd Williamson said. "Patient choice must be a key tenet of any health reform proposal. Implementing a government-backed insurance program will not give a patient added choices - it will eventually allow him or her only one option, the public option."
After voicing their concern about rushed legislation at the press conference, doctors met with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill to talk about working towards a bi-partisan solution that would help the uninsured obtain coverage without negatively affecting the 250 million Americans who have health insurance. The doctors expressed their fear that a government-controlled "public option" would have an inherent advantage in the marketplace because it would ultimately be subsidized by American taxpayers and a government takeover of the American healthcare system would result. Consequently, millions of Americans would be forced from a private plan of their choosing to a government controlled plan, which would lead to long waiting lines to see a doctor, substandard care, and the slowing of medical discovery and innovation.
Dr. Marcy Zwelling-Aamot, an internist from Southern California and a patients-rights advocate said, "Patients must be kept at the center of healthcare reform. As Congress takes the important steps to reform our current system, we need to remember that at the end of the day it is the patient that should be the decision maker about their healthcare, not the government."
Coalition to Protect Patients" Rights