COVERITLIVE.COM

3:59

murphyj87 - RT @texmed: Looks like ice cream truck guy is happy protesters cam to #amameeting. // Yay for insurance takeover of health care

3:59	Texas Medical Association - Dr. Jim Rohack is going through HR 3962 and 3961 against AMA principles - access, quality, liability, Medicare SGR, patient-physician relationship, administrative simplification, voluntary public plan with negotiated rates.

4:00	Texas Medical Association - Note: I advertised this event as including Dr. Rohack and Rep/Dr. Burgess. That was incorrect. Dr. Burgess is in DC voting on health care bill

4:01	Texas Medical Association - Dr. Rohack says HR 3962 would equalize payments for Medicaid to Medicare levels - paid for by federal $$

4:02	Texas Medical Association - Dr. Rohack: "Endorsement is like marriage, it's a commitment. Support is like engagement, we're still working on it." Physician owned hospitals, cuts for imaging services, future of HSAs, GME funding are issues AMA is still concerned about. Want more choice.

4:03	Texas Medical Association - Dr. Rohack says "this is in important time for us to seize the opportunity for health system reform to move America to a better place. If we don't do it now, the question is, 'When?'"

4:03	Texas Medical Association - Chief AMA lobbyist Rich Deem now speaking.

4:04	Texas Medical Association - Rich Deem says "we succeeded because we persisted" in the 2008 fight over the SGR payment cut.

4:06	Texas Medical Association - Rich Deem: SGR is a patient access issue for seniors and military families. He expects vote on HR 3961, after Veterans' Day Holiday.

4:07	Texas Medical Association - Rich Deem says those arguing that SGR fix expands deficit are trying to peel doctors off of the bill. Temporary band aids have grown the problem from $49 billion in 2005 to $245 billion today.

4:08	Texas Medical Association - Rich Deem: on the Senate side, we haven't seen the bills yet. How can they get 60 votes to start and close debate? Expects 3-4 weeks of debate at a minimum.

4:09

HobbsOBG - Price tag to repeal SGR has increased 5 fold in 4 years. Delay makes problem worse. #amameeting

4:10

KittMD - Expect Senate debate to take 3-4 weeks #amameeting

4:10

Texas Medical Association - Rich Deem says Senate Finance Committee bill has bigger concerns: 1 year SGR bandaid, funds primary care bonus by taking funds from specialists, $350 enrollment fee for physicians to have the opportunity to participate in Medicaid and Medicare, measurements that don't accurately measure health care quality.

4:12	Texas Medical Association - Question from Oregon doctor via e-mail: Why isn't AMA evaluating single payer system? Rohack: The basic principle of AMA is choice. Not for a single private or public insurer that underwrites everybody.

4:12	Texas Medical Association - Question from e-mail: How do we deal with monopolistic domination of health insurance companies? Dr. Rohack: AMA working with Federal Trade Commission to work on this.

4:14	Texas Medical Association - Question from e-mail; Why have D's and R's both refused to fix the SGR? Rohack: Empty promises - Congress likes us where they have us. We need to be very firm about making permanent reform of the SGR happen now, not in the future.

4:17

Texas Medical Association - Dr. Bruce Malone: Does it disturb you that the new SGR fix is also pegged to the Gross National Product? That's a bad index. Why aren't we insisting on the Medicare Economic Index?

Rich Deem: Congress has resisted MEI. New formula is better than SGR. We're moving to a different payment system. Things like e-RX bonuses. Moving away from across-the-board rate changes. It's not what we wanted to it's certainly better than the current formula.

4:20

Texas Medical Association - Dr. Mike Ellis from Louisiana: I can beat private insurers in advocating for my patients. There is no accountability from government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. HR 3962 grants gov't agencies "dictatorial authority" with strict limitations of appeals of their decisions.

Rich Deem: HHS must receive appropriations from Congress; HHS officials need Senate confirmation. AMA concerned about appeal limits.

4:22

texmed - RT @BigDaddy978: Selling insurance across state lines = letting devious insurers sell WORTHLESS policies in states w/ higher standards.#HCR

Page 1 Next >