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A Voice for Private Physicians Since 1943

The Doctor’s Story: Get the Government Out of the Way

WASHINGTON DC – The physician members of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons are on the front lines of patient care and know what works (and what doesn’t) for improving their patients’ access to quality, affordable medical care. On October 13, 2011, two AAPS physician members joined with Congressman Marsha Blackburn (TN-7) for a briefing on Capitol Hill providing information on what is already happening outside the Beltway to restore the patient-physician relationship and lower costs.

AAPS Executive Director Jane Orient, MD opened the briefing with a reminder that Title 1 of PPACA outlaws true health care insurance which will lead to patients losing their current plans and physicians, despite promises from the White House to the contrary. Instead of mandates to purchase government approved health plans, restoring honest and transparent pricing to medical care is the solution to increase access, improve quality, and lower costs. You cannot make something “affordable” by making it more expensive.

Congressman Marsha Blackburn outlined the multiple problems the state of Tennessee encountered over the last 17 years running Tenn Care, the state’s managed care based Medicaid program. The Tenn Care budget has expanded to $8 billion, a third of the entire state budget and instead of receiving access to timely medical care, patients are finding long waits in the queue. Physicians are also waiting 6 months to be paid for their services.

G. Keith Smith, M.D. introduced the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, a 32,535 square foot, state-of-the-art multi-specialty facility in Oklahoma City, owned and operated by approximately 40 of the top surgeons and anesthesiologists in central Oklahoma.
In contrast to a vast majority of hospitals that obfuscate their prices, Dr. Smith’s center offers patients (including the uninsured and under-insured) transparent, direct, packaged pricing on surgical procedures, thus the patient knows exactly what the cost of the service will be upfront.

Congressman Marsha Blackburn discussed the importance of passing H.R. 371, The Health Care Choice Act of 2011. It will put patients, not government and insurance company bureaucrats, back in charge of their medical decisions. It repeals section 1 of PPACA (aka ObamaCare) and allows patients more freedom to choose health insurance plans that make sense for them and their families.

Dr. Smith also explained that free market mechanisms must be restored in order for patients to have access to high quality care at prices decided by the marketplace and not bureaucrats. Austrian Economist Ludwig Von Mises stated in his book Socialism, that without rational prices, economic systems will collapse. Health care is no exception.

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