ASA Applauds “Blue Dog Coalition” for Its Stance on Public Plan Option
Chicago —
(July 13, 2009)
The Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative House democrats, has submitted a letter
to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer outlining a
number of concerns about the Tri-Committee draft health reform bill.
ASA strongly supports the Blue Dog Coalition’s concerns about a public
plan option based on Medicare payment rates.
ASA President Roger A. Moore, M.D., has released the following statement in response to the Blue Dog Coalition’s letter:
“On
behalf of ASA’s 43,000 physician members, I applaud the Blue Dog
Coalition members and leadership for opposing a public plan option
based on Medicare rates, and for recognizing that a Medicare-like
public option would negatively impact doctors and patients. Further, I
am pleased that the Coalition maintains that physicians and other
health care providers should be able to voluntarily participate in the
program, rather than being mandated by Congress.
“We
are working together on one of the most comprehensive health care
reform efforts this government has ever undertaken. We commend the
“Tri-Committee” members and staff for their efforts toward meaningful
and effective delivery reform. However, we believe that as part of
responsible reform, we must ensure that a public plan option fairly
compensate physicians for their services. As it stands, Medicare pays
anesthesiologists 33 percent of what private insurers pay—a rate that
simply does not cover the costs of providing anesthesiology medical
care. An expansion of this inadequate payment system as proposed by
the “Tri-Committee” would not be sustainable for private practice and
academic anesthesiologists.
“Anesthesiologists
are specialized physicians who care for patients before, during and
after surgery. Beyond the OR, anesthesiologists treat pain and save
lives in critical care units, using their skills and unparalleled
medical knowledge to keep patients safe when they need it most.
Anesthesiologists alone have been recognized by the Institute of
Medicine as the leaders in patient safety, and we continually strive to
improve the quality of patient care. We support responsible health
care reform that protects patients and ultimately strengthens our
health care system.
“We commend the leadership and members of the Blue Dog Coalition for their efforts on this important issue.”
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Anesthesiologists: Physicians providing the lifeline of modern medicine. Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research and scientific association with 46,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists Web site at www.asahq.org. For patient information, visit LifeLineToModernMedicine.com
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