President Obama's
Healthcare Reform Proposal
Last week, President Obama described his plan
for healthcare reform to the American Medical
Association. The AMA’s doctor-members are very
interested in how reform will affect their
businesses and income.
Another group with a vested interest in what the
president had to say is private companies like
insurers. They want to know, and control, how
reform will affect their profitability and
viability.
We patients comprise the third and largest
group. Our interests are different from the
others. We hold the biggest healthcare reform
stake of all -- our lives and health.
Over the next few months, those stakeholders
whose profits will be affected by reform efforts
will begin their campaigns of fear mongering
with a vengeance. Too often they consider their
profits to be more important than our health. So
they will begin drawing and broadcasting
fictional conclusions about the President’s plan
to scare us into believing that reform will cost
us the healthcare we need and deserve.
During his speech, President Obama addressed
those fabricated fears directly. Here are a few
of his statements that directly affect us
patients:
- Healthcare reform will not equal
socialized medicine. The president made it
clear that he intends to capitalize on the
private aspects of healthcare that do work
well.
- If you like your doctor and/or you like
your insurance plan, you can keep them. No
one will force you to make changes you don’t
want to make.
- Currently doctors are paid for seeing
more patients and running more tests. A
reformed system will instead reward them for
keeping their patients healthy.
- Doctors will be encouraged to
collaborate with other doctors. Today they
rarely talk to each other because they can’t
get reimbursed, and therefore can’t afford
the time to do so.
- A “public option” insurance program will
be developed to help those who struggle to
afford the coverage they need. It will be
one of many insurance options from which we
can choose.
- Insurers will no longer be allowed to
deny coverage to patients with pre-existing
conditions.
Going forward, if you find statements that
confuse or scare you about healthcare reform,
please do not give in to these groups that value
their income over your life. Study the options.
Form your own opinions.
Reform will become a fact of life. It’s
important it be centered on us patients and not
on profits.
.................................
Learn more about President Obama's Address to
the AMA
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Trisha Torrey is Every Patient’s
AdvocateTM.
She offers no medical advice,
but empowers those who
want to learn more about
diagnosis and treatment options
by
providing useful tools and
resources.
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