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During his State of Union address last month, President Bush said, “We share a common goal: making health care more affordable and accessible to all Americans.” TMA President William W. Hinchey, MD, had this response:
“Read my lips, President Bush. If you sincerely want to make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans — bring the broken Medicare system into the 21st century. We find it disturbing that in the past seven years, the Bush administration has not taken steps to resolve Medicare’s flawed payment formula. It doesn’t make any sense that individual doctors are being forced out of Medicare. Meanwhile, Medicare Advantage insurance plans and Medicare HMOs are receiving double-digit, multimillion-dollar bonuses for simply brokering existing medical services. Worse yet, America’s senior citizens and people with disabilities don’t have access to a doctor and the health care they deserve."
Dr. Hinchey added that if President Bush "honestly wants to improve patients’ access to health care, he needs to take the following steps:
• Fix the broken Medicare funding formula NOW.
• Develop a NEW payment system that ensures seniors get affordable, convenient, and high-quality care and pays doctors fairly.
• Put Medicare patients’ health care needs before health insurance company profits.”
That’s the "Texas Medicare Manifesto."
Last Published: 2/14/2008 Print this page
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