Independent Physician Group Not Shy To Speak Out

In most of the healthcare law there seems to be one single group that is always conspicuously missing from the debate. This group perhaps is the most important single group that could influence the outcome of our national healthcare system. It's the physicians! Where are the doctors one may be asking in all of this. One group called the Physicians for a National Health Program(PNHP) has spoken .Dr. Steffie Woodhanlher, MD, MPH from Harvard stated that the current "single payer" system that models a "Medicare for All" approach calls for too many plans, co-pays, exchanges and navigators. At best it is a skimpy coverage particularly for the middle income population. It is very good for the working poor and those not insured. The PNHP leader went on to say that the new health law is too complex , expensive and complicated. Even after everything is said and done 30 million Americans will remain uninsured( confirmed by the CBO , Congressional Budget Office) . There were 25 to 30 million who were already never included in the original law because of being mid level income people who can't afford the co-pay in the first place. The current plan appears to be 400 % above the poverty level. It doesn't appear to effect the premiums as great as it does out-0f-pocket payments and deductibles, but it is noticeable . By making Medicaid a state option and if states don't expand those in the program , those insured under it will not get healthcare.

The group however, did feel a plan that expanded Medicare and enrolled the Veteran's Administration and Social Security Administration would be a start. These programs already know the income of people and where they fit in a health system by knowing what they can afford before selling them a policy. Another recommendation was a system modeled more after Canada and Europe could benefit the reduction of paperwork, waste and unnecessary spending and administrative costs. But, now more of the program is falling apart with numerous individuals being dropped by their health insurance plans, particularly the Keiser Permanente and Blue Cross programs in California, Florida, New Jersey and New York. But, that's not the end of it. Many medical doctors are also being "let go" by their plan as well. The roll out with the website is now being pushed back again to late November or December for full activation. This issue is also a point that constitutional scholars who will debate if this constitutes a legal matter compounded on to the 20 or more states who believe it is. With this physicians may no longer be able to sit on the fence.