Many say the costly plan won’t fix problems
By CINDY HORSWELL
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 6, 2009
Physicians jammed a town hall meeting in The Woodlands on Thursday, expressing fears about the cost and effectiveness of a health care reform bill that could come up for a vote in Congress as early as September.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, hosted the meeting attended by about 90 physicians at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Woodlands.
“The bottom line is that doctors don’t want socialized medicine — another flawed health care system like Medicare. They don’t believe it will lower the costs or improve quality,” Brady said. “Medicare is already going bankrupt and not quality care. It also shifts medical costs onto other paying customers. It needs to be fixed first.”
The bill is designed to insure 94 percent of all Americans (excluding those covered by Medicare, which kicks in at age 65) and would cost an estimated $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The revenue to pay for it would come from $544 billion over the next decade in income taxes on single people making more than $280,000 annually and couples making more than $350,000 annually; $37 billion in business taxes; $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; and sizable penalties paid by individuals and employers who don’t obtain coverage.
“I am very concerned about what this will cost us in terms of dollars,” said Dr. William Parker, the chief medical officer where the meeting was held. “Before this week, they did not tell us any details of the plan. We’ve had too little time to read, digest and discuss something that will be such a major overhaul of the health care system.”
U.S. Rep. Gene Green, a Democrat who represents a blue-collar area from Baytown to Denver Harbor east of Houston, has held four meetings on the health care plan and received mixed reviews…
[Ed. We’ve been wondering where the medical community stands on HR 3200, since they’ll become government employees, in our opinion, if Congress approves this bill. ]
Read the entire article 90 Doctors opposing health care bill jam town hall meeting
