Hospitals and Physicians Unite at Capitol to Press for Mcare Relief to Assure Patient Access
| Date: Sept. 16, 2008 |
| Event Contacts: |
Roger Baumgarten
Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
(717) 561-5342 |
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Chuck Moran
Pennsylvania Medical Society
(717) 558-7820 |
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| Speaker Contacts: |
For Jon Tucker, MD, call Beth Weachter,
Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society,
(717) 909-8901 |
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For Lynne Coslett-Charlton, MD, call Jan Reisinger,
Pennsylvania Section, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
(717) 909-2681 |
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For Craig Hillemeier, MD, call Amy Buehler-Stranges,
Penn State College of Medicine,
(717) 531-8608 |
| For Immediate Release |
(Harrisburg, Pa.) At a news conference today at the state Capitol, Pennsylvania's doctors and hospitals said that access to health care must be preserved, asking lawmakers to extend Mcare abatement and to continue to work towards a compromise to expand coverage to the uninsured.
Those speaking today called on lawmakers to end the political impasse, agreeing the situation will only hurt the recruitment of new physicians to the state as well as other related health care access issues.
“Action on Mcare is needed to ensure that our state is able to retain physicians currently practicing in our state and to recruit new physicians,” said Carolyn F. Scanlan, president and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. “At the same time, passage of legislation to extend health care coverage for our state's uninsured is also critical to ensuring access to quality health care for Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania hospitals believe that both need to be considered by the General Assembly this fall. Both are important and essential to patient access, and are deserving of full, independent consideration in separate legislation.”
Peter S. Lund, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, agrees with Scanlan.
“Unfortunately, three issues have been woven together and as a result your physicians and hospitals, the uninsured, and PHC4 are caught in the middle,” said Peter S. Lund, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
How Mcare Helps Today
Pennsylvania physicians are required by law to carry $1 million in medical liability insurance in order to practice in the state. Half of the amount is attained through private carriers, while the second half is covered through the Mcare Fund, which assesses physicians statewide. Since 2003, through a tax on cigarettes, Pennsylvania has been able to reduce the amount doctors must pay into the Mcare Fund by granting abatements depending upon the physician’s specialty.
Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society President, Jon B. Tucker, MD, pointedly commented that as Mcare abatement goes away, so does the requirement for physicians to stay in the state for the following year. Since the Mcare abatement was started several years ago, those physicians who accept the abatement also agree to remain in Pennsylvania the following year.
“You have all heard the familiar Southwest Airlines slogan, ‘You are now free to move about the country™,” said Dr. Tucker. “This popular tagline may soon apply to physicians in Pennsylvania if the General Assembly does not pass some type of meaningful healthcare reform legislation during the remaining session days in September and October.”
How Mcare Helps The Future
According to Craig Hillemeier, MD, vice dean of clinical affairs at the Penn State College of Medicine, lack of Mcare action could also impact physicians in training as well.
“The truth of the matter is that Pennsylvania is a net exporter of physicians to the rest of the country. Nearly two-thirds of the physicians that attend medical school in Pennsylvania will eventually practice medicine outside the state,” said Dr. Hillemeier. “An unstable medical liability environment, coupled with a lack of Mcare relief, adversely impacts the decisions of Pennsylvania’s medical students to stay in Pennsylvania. With Pennsylvania’s aging population and a looming physician shortage, it’s critical that we create a favorable environment to attract new doctors and retain those who are already practicing medicine in Pennsylvania.”
Penn State medical student Timothy Deimling explained further.
“By the time I graduate, I’ll owe around $250,000 in loans,” he said explaining that he plans to become an ob/gyn. “That’s a heavy ball and chain on my leg, so I’ll have to consider only the best offers as I hunt for a job. Offers from Pennsylvania typically aren’t competitive because of high medical liability insurance rates coupled with other problems.”
Also speaking on the issue at the Capitol were Lynne Coslett-Charlton, MD, of the Pennsylvania section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Jan Fisher, president and CEO of Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital in Wellsboro. The event was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
Additional Quotes
“These declines (physicians engaged in direct patient care) would have been much higher, resulting in devastating effects for patients seeking access to health care, if Mcare abatement had not been in place from 2004 to 2007. Failure to re-enact Mcare abatement will exacerbate the growing physician shortage as new physicians finishing their training put down roots in other states, but not in Pennsylvania.” – Carolyn F. Scanlan, President and CEO, Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
“Let’s pass an abatement and deal with the future of the Mcare Fund now. Let’s reauthorize PHC4. And, let’s find compromise to help find coverage and health care for the uninsured.” – Peter S. Lund, MD, President Pennsylvania Medical Society
“The Mcare Abatement Program has protected our healthcare system from the devastating effects of the medical liability crisis. Enacted in 2003, the program has helped thousands of doctors to continue to treat their patients. Equally as important, the program has allowed Pennsylvania’s high-risk specialists to retain physicians and recruit the best and brightest young doctors. In return for the state’s assistance with medical liability costs, physicians agree to practice for one additional year in Pennsylvania. Without Mcare Abatement, there is a real possibility that doctors may consider leaving the Commonwealth to go to states with lower medical liability costs and higher reimbursements.” – Jon B. Tucker, MD, President, Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society
“At Penn State Hershey, the total savings realized as a result of the Mcare Abatement program since it’s inception in 2003 is nearly $18 million. That’s real money that has been redirected back into patient care and physician training. The General Assembly should work to pass a stand-alone bill that will continue the successful Mcare Abatement program, provide a continuous and sound funding stream to cover the cost of the unfunded Mcare claims and payoff until the Fund is retired, and ensure that the funds from the Health Care Provider Retention Account be used to pay the unfunded liabilities when the Fund is retired and no longer provides coverage.” – Craig Hillemeier, MD, Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, Chair of Pediatrics/Medical Director, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital
The Pennsylvania Medical Society has been working to enhance the patient-doctor relationship since 1848. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org, or to learn about Pennsylvania-specific health issues, visit the Medical Society’s consumer website at www.myfamilywellness.org.
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Last Updated: 9/24/2008