Molly Sandvig, executive director of Physician Hospitals of America (PHA), issued the following statement on the current plight of the current House healthcare reform bill, which includes a provision restricting physician-owned hospitals:
“Late Friday evening, the House Way and Means Committee completed their markup of the healthcare reform package and approved H.R. 3200, which is entitled, ‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.’ All Republicans and several Democrats voted against the package, including Ron Kind, D-Wis., John Tanner, D-Tenn., and Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., — all three members of the Blue Dog Coalition...
Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, offered wonderful assistance to physician hospitals, raising the topic of physician ownership in committee and subsequently bringing a motion to strike the physician hospitals language from the bill. During discussion on physician hospitals, several other members spoke in favor of discussing the issue further. Therefore, Chairman (Charles) Rangel, D-N.Y., agreed to meet separately with members on our issue. As a result, I am asking you to contact your representatives — both Democrats and Republicans — and request that they go to Chairman Rangel and express their desire to be included in this meeting in support of the physician owned hospitals in their districts. Chairman Rangel needs to see first-hand the depth of interest members have in supporting their own hospitals, and this is the best way we can accomplish that. Please make telephone calls and send e-mails/faxes today with this simple message — “A separate meeting is going to be scheduled by Chairman Rangel and Representative Sam Johnson to address the issue of physician owned hospitals. I am requesting that my representative ask to attend that meeting in support of the hospital(s) I work with and the patients they serve in his/her district. Please ask my representative to approach Chairman Rangel to be included in that meeting.”
If you are in Rep. Sam Johnson’s district in Texas, I would further request that you offer your thanks for his incredible support by calling or e-mailing his office today! He and his staff have truly done a wonderful job in making certain our issue is heard.
As you may have seen, last Friday the American Medical Association came out in support of HR 3200. However, the AMA issued a letter offering an exception to their support for the bill, against the negative physician owned hospital language and in support of Rep. Johnson’s motion to strike. Johnson made note of the AMA’s letter at the committee markup — therefore the AMA is in the record supporting physician-owned hospitals...
On another note, healthcare reform markup began in Energy and Commerce last Thursday and is scheduled to continue through at least until this upcoming Wednesday. The physician owned hospital section of the bill is currently scheduled to be addressed tomorrow. If your hospital is represented by one of the following members who sits on Energy and Commerce, please contact them today and urge their vocal support of the hospitals you work with.
Energy and Commerce Democrats:
- Mike Ross (Ark.)
- Anna Eshoo (Calif.)
- Lois Capps (Calif.)
- Henry Waxman (Calif.)
- Jerry McNerney (Calif.)
- Jim Matheson (Utah)
- John Barrow (Ga.)
- Diana DeGette (Colo.)
- Baron Hill (Ind.)
- Charlie Melancon (La.)
- Zack Space (Ohio)
- Betty Sutton (Ohio)
- Bart Gordon (Tenn.)
- Gene Green (Texas)
- Charles Gonzalez (Texas)
Although the House continues to be on track to vote on H.R. 3200 before the August recess, the timeline could still change, depending specifically upon the results of the Energy & Commerce markup this week.
On the Senate side, the HELP committee has reported its portion of the Senate health reform legislation. The HELP bill does not contain physician owned hospital language. The Senate Finance committee is holding out for bipartisan action and still has no agreement on a bill. Therefore, it is likely that there will be no action in the Senate before the August recess — however, this interpretation of timeline is subject to change.
There have been several substantial concerns reported with both the Senate and House bills, which could have the affect of further slowing down legislation. The director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was quoted late last week as stating that the health reform legislation will increase federal spending substantially in the future and be a further burden to an already fiscally unstable Medicare system. A bipartisan group of Senators led by Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., issued a letter asking for additional time to consider health reform legislation — a copy of that letter is attached for your review. And, over the weekend, the White House seemed to loosen its strict health reform calendar during a press conference on reform.
Congress breaks for August recess soon. This is the perfect time for you to invite your elected officials to your hospital. I have attached the PHA Legislative Reception, Fundraiser and Tour Toolkit for your convenience in planning events next month.
Press Update
As many of you might have read, Sens. Baucus and Grassley are once again on the rampage against physician hospitals, citing a patient death in a Colorado physician hospital as proof of our hospitals’ unsafe conditions...Please find the statement PHA issued last Friday in response to the press coverage of this unfortunate patient death. If you receive press calls on this issue, please feel free to utilize this statement or use this as a basis for your own.
“It is despicable that Sens. Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley would use the tragic death of one patient to help support the attempts of corporate hospitals and bureaucrats to undermine hospitals owned and operated by physicians themselves. The fact of the matter is, every independent study, including those by federal government, demonstrate physician-owned hospitals have lower mortality rates and lower morbidity rates by patient outcomes across the United States. There are over 100,000 preventable deaths in American hospitals every year.
As recently as last week, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released national data, which again shows significantly better outcomes for patients at hospitals owned and operated by physicians, rather than those under the control of bureaucrats and corporations. Unfortunately, Sens. Baucus and Grassley appear to be getting their information exclusively from opponents of Physician Hospitals of America, such as the American Hospital Association. They are cherry picking tragedies for political leverage and perpetuating a mythology which was created for no purpose other than to financially benefit the hospitals operated by bureaucrats and corporations, without regard to patient outcomes and overall quality.”
-Brett Gosney, President of PHA Board of Directors
Summary of Requests for Action
As described in greater length above, please take the following actions today:
- Call or e-mail your Representative and ask that he/she speak to Chairman Rangel and ask to be included in the separate meeting that is to take place on the issue of physician ownership. Ask them to protect the patients in their district by supporting the hospitals you work with in this meeting.
- If you are in a district that is served by one of the members on Energy & Commerce, as listed above, please call or email them right away and ask that they support the hospitals in their district when the issue of physician ownership is brought before the committee during markup.
- Please continue your overall grassroots campaigns by sending letters from patients, physicians, staff, family and friends! If you need assistance formatting your grassroots campaign, be sure to utilize our Grassroots Advocacy Guide, or call or email PHA for direct assistance.
Thank you for your continue efforts on behalf of your patients, physicians, and everyone in the physician hospital industry. If we act together, our efforts will certainly make a difference!”