It’s Monday morning at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (The White House). President Obama has invited physician leaders to attend a meeting today regarding healthcare reform.
So, what is the agenda? There may be a hint of what will take place in an article in Medpage Today, describing Mr. Obama’s vision for health reform in America.
Here are President Obama's takeaway points:
"I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I have talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs. So I am proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. I know the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these issues. It's a good idea, and I'm directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today."
"The only thing this plan would eliminate [in Medicare] is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies ..."
To date, the White House has detailed hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to the Medicare program. First, the administration outlined $634 billion in savings, about half of which would come from cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. These include elimination of overpayment to Medicare Advantage plans.
And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives
There are those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally"
"Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim ... that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. It is a lie, plain and simple."
I know I will sleep much better tonight after our physician leaders meet with President Obama, knowing that our healthcare reform has been solved…
Did the Whitehouse Cherry-Pick the physicians who were invited to the Rose Garden??
Physician's for Obama
All supporters of President Obama who campaigned for his election
WHO WERE THE GATE-CRASHERS?
Another not as well known meeting today is the
NATIONAL PHYSICIAN'S ALLIANCE PROGRAM
National Grand Rounds on Health Care Reform
Monday, October 5, 2009 12:00 PM Eastern
The meeting was held today at Columbus Square at Union Station.
To see the meeting WEBINAR, click on WEBINAR.
The meeting was sponsored by the AMSA (American Medical Student Association, and the National Physician's Allliance Program.
Panelists included:
Arthur Kellerman, MD,MPH Dean for Health Policy, Emory University.
Meena Seshamani, PhD, MD
Director of Policy Analysis,
Office of Health Reform,
Director of Health & Human Services
The takeaway from both of these meetings is that we have 'their ear'.
Physician involvement is critical, and now more than ever before, we are being heard.....WE must continue to be involved on a daily basis as legislation is developed.
