Who pays tab for uninsured?
With more than 7,000 members, the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) is the leading voice for physicians in the state. I am proud to say that MAG has remained true to its mission of “enhancing patient care and the health of the public” in its advocacy efforts at the state and national levels.
MAG opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), but we did support certain PPACA provisions that reformed the health insurance industry in ways that safeguard people who are sick, as well as children with pre-existing conditions.
MAG does not believethe country is on a sustainable track when it comes to its health care system – with or without PPACA. We are attempting to do too much with too little.
Medicaid, for example, will continue to fail unless changes take place. Georgians might be surprised to find out that Medicaid physicians in the state are paid at a rate that is less than the cost of delivering the services. There isn’t any business that can keep its doors open on that basis. This backdrop might explain why the number of Medicaid physicians in the state has declined by more than 15 percent since 2009, according to the Georgia Department of Community Health. The Medicare program for seniors, meanwhile, isn’t in much better shape.
This means that some of our neediest patients – especially those who live in rural areas – will ultimately suffer because it’s going to become increasingly difficult for them to find a physician. And, unfortunately, having a health insurance card doesn’t necessarily mean they will have access to care.
In addition, all you have to do is look at your paycheck stub or turn on the evening news to know that health insurance premiums and deductibles are on the rise. That’s because someone obviously has to pick up the tab for caring for millions of previously uninsured people.
PPACA’s tax burden — not to mention the possible fines and penalties — is big, and it’s only going to get bigger as new provisions kick in each passing year. This affects a wide range of stakeholders, including individual patients and families and small businesses.
How can we preserve what I believe is the best health care in the world? We need to adopt policies that empower individual patients. Let them — versus the federal government or some big insurance company — decide how they’re going to spend their money and what doctor they’re going to see. We need to hold lawmakers accountable for fulfilling the promises that have been made to adequately fund Medicare and Medicaid. We need to expand the number of free clinics in Georgia, which already reach more than 15 percent of the state’s population and provide $200 million in free care each year. And we need to preserve the individual relationships between patients and their physicians.
W. Scott Bohlke is president of the Medical Association of Georgia.
