In July, health system reform got off to a very fast and emotional start. This quick start fueled what can only be described as a political feeding frenzy. This has hidden the fact that the process is really just getting started and is still a long way from over. The bills moving through Congress (in 5 committees) are literally moving targets, subject to more amendments after the recess, then assuming both houses pass "something" the final reform bill (the one that counts) will be determined by a House - Senate conference committee. The AMS encourages physician members to stay informed, get involved, and be heard. The AMS has developed a document called Priorities for Health System Reform, which can be found on the AMS website: www.arkmed.org.

 

You should also watch out for those "false-negatives". During the first 6 months of 2000, $263 million was spent on lobbying over health reform, with 3,300 lobbyists on the payroll (Ark Democrat, August 15th). If you hear statements that appear to be crazy, they probably are. There are certainly provisions in the reform bills that are cause for concern and need to be fought, but there is also an unbelievable level of deliberate, strategic, misinformation being produced by reform opponents in an effort to prevent anything from passing.

 

In our last News Brief (July 10) the first sentence read, "As of July 4th, no "Health Care Reform" bills had been filed, yet there are drafts and "rumblings." Since then, the drafts and "rumblings" have turned into shouting in town halls all across the country. The initial pace of reform legislation was keyed by President Obama's push for initial votes before the August recess. The AMS and other groups across the nation pushed for a slow-down and help came in the form of the conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, led by Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross (Chair of the "Blue Dogs" Health Care Task Force), who also preferred to slow things down.