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"Docs4PatientCare.org is a politically neutral grassroots coalition of physicians.  Use of any politically partisan terms does not reflect the position of Docs4PatientCare.org.  We do encourage our speakers to express how they feel and we post articles based on their informative content only.  Any politically partisan language used does not reflect the group as a whole.  Specific party or political allegiances and opposition are not our intent.  The goal of D4PC is only to advocate for effective and responsible health care reform."

MD Letter to Senator Diane Feinstein

Saturday, November 28, 2009



Dear Senator Feinstein,
 
Thank you very much for your courteous response.  I share your concern about entitlement spending and the burdensome debt that our President and Congress seem determined to pass on to future generations.  My wife and I are parents, small business owners, employers, and taxpayers who feel our contributions are being used more to support political aspirations than to strengthen our nation, encourage the American work ethic, and make our children's future brighter.
 
Promising benefits without the financial wherewithal to cover the expenses got Bernard Madoff 150 years of taxpayer-supported room and board.  The Congressional Budget Office had a difficult time analyzing the highly nebulous bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee, but basically concluded that the President and Congress are promising benefits without the financial wherewithal to cover the expenses.  The 10/20/2009 Wall Street Journal offers a litany of Uncle Sam's healthcare cost overruns including yearly Medicaid hospitalization costs that are a staggering  17x more than predicted.  Since you are "concerned about the astronomical growth of entitlement spending,"  I would like to share with you the concluding paragraph of the Journal's editorial:
 
"The lesson here is that spending on nearly all federal benefit programs grow relentlessly once they are established.  This history won't stop Democrats bent on ramming their entitlement into law.  But every Member who votes is guaranteeing larger deficits and higher taxes far into the future. Count on it."
 
I do believe that you (and Senator Boxer) as a California Senators can uniquely contribute to the dialogue on healthcare reform.  One of the blessings of practicing medicine in California is the landmark Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) passed in 1975.  Before 1975 thousands of healthcare providers, especially obstetricians and neurosurgeons, quit practicing in California.   As a result, many Californians, especially women and those in rural areas lost access to affordable care.  The Yale Journal Case Study 2004 concluded, "It is reliably estimated by entities as diverse as the U. S. Congressional Budget Office, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Milliman and Robertson, the Florida Governor's Select Task force on Healthcare Professional Liability Insurance, and the American Academy of Actuaries that passage of reforms similar to MICRA in states currently lacking such statutes would result in premium savings of 25 to 30 percent annually." 
 
Although there are many other concerns that working physicians have with the various elements of proposed healthcare reform, I would like to stress that no legislation should become law without serious tort reform.  We spend 400 billion dollars annually for coverage representation, and settlements as a profession.  This does not include the more than 30% spent on tests that are  ordered for defensive purposes only.  No serious legislation that aims at lowering healthcare costs should be considered if this point is overlooked. 
 
Respectfully,
 
Russell Holmes, M.D.
Hospitalist
Tri-City Medical Center
Oceanside CA 92054
  
  
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