July.Aug ECMS Bulletin

Page 1

www.escambiacms.org

jUly/AUGUSt 2012

BULLETIN

VolUmE 42, No. 4

Upcoming Events Tuesday August 14, 2012 General Membership Meeting “Veterans Mental Health: Identifying Patients & Local Resources” [1 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM]

Heritage Hall 5:30p Sunday, September 30, 2012 Women in Medicine Brunch Fish House 11:30a - 1:30p Tuesday, October 9, 2012 General Membership Meeting [1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM]

Speaker: Patricia Green, M.D./ Topic: “Breast MRI” Speaker: Bruce Horten, M.D./ Topic: “Breast Cancer Analysis”

RSVP: 478-0706

Founded in 1873

President’s Message

Landmark Decision Dr. George A.W. Smith On June 28 the U.S Supreme Court announced its decision on the challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Its decision to uphold the constitutionality of the health reform law came as a surprise. However, it has assured that millions of Americans who are presently uninsured will have the opportunity to gain insurance coverage in the future. To quote Glen Stream, M.D., M.B.I., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, “there is plenty to like, and dislike about the PPACA. He feels that the Patient Protection and affordable Care Act has been a divisive issue not only in our country but also amongst physicians. I agree with his statement that the legislation is far from perfect, but now that the Supreme Court has issued its long-awaited ruling, we can move forward with needed health system reform. The Court’s declaration that the mandate of Medicaid expansion was unconstitutional truly took everyone by surprise as all eyes were on the “Individual Mandate. It has limited the expansion of Medicaid by making it optional for states rather than a mandated expansion. This means that states that want to move forward with planned expansion (which would give coverage to all individuals under 133% Federal Poverty Level,(FPL) may do so, but states that do not want to will no longer be required to do so. Already governors in several states including Florida and Louisiana have declared they will not participate in the expansion. Unfortunately this means that some of the poorest and neediest individuals who would have benefitted most from health care reform risk losing their only means to affordable health care coverage. The health reform law establishes subsidies on a sliding scale for individuals and families between 100% and 400% FPL. It did not establish subsidies for those under 100% FPL because it was assumed that they would be covered by the Medicaid expansion.

Dr. George A.W. Smith Even with its flaws it is felt that by extending healthcare coverage to over 30 million more people, the law will improve the health of the nation by ensuring access to basic primary care including preventive services and chronic disease management. Physicians will need to advocate for changes in the flawed provisions of the law and will need to refocus on things that still need to be addressed. These include the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB); meaningful liability reform; finding a permanent fix for the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and passing The Medicare Patient Empowerment Act (H.R. 1700/S.1042) that will give seniors the ability to see any physician they choose and privately contract to access their Medicare benefit without having to pay the full out-of-pocket cost for their care. Several provisions of the health care law are beneficial for patients, physicians and the workforce. It eliminates annual and lifetime coverage limits and covers preventive services. Insurers cannot deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions and young adults are allowed to remain on their parents’ insurance up to age 26.Medicaid payment for primary care services will be boosted to Medicare levels and primary care payment incentives will be created for Medicare. For our workforce there is provision for funding for teaching health centers and scholarship and loan repayment programs in the National Health Service Corps. There are still many unknowns about the Affordable Care Act and additional legal challenges are likely. The FMA states that it will continue its advocacy efforts on issues not addressed by the ACA and will work to preserve its good provisions. It offers to provide guidance to members as the healthcare law is implemented and will be actively engaged in the regulatory and rule-making process.


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