Seeking Common Ground on Health Care Reform

Since July, I’ve been trying to meet with the President to discuss health care. To this day and after three letters, faxes and emails, I have heard no word from the President’s office about a time to discuss this very important matter. I certainly understand the President is busy these days, so in an effort to help streamline his schedule – while upholding his latest pledge, “be there to listen” to serious proposals – I sent another request with other doctors to set a meeting. Last week, I sent the following letter, reiterating my request to the President for a meeting along with Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Republican doctors Tom Price (Ga.), Bill Cassidy (La.), and Jason Chaffetz (Utah):

As individuals who share your support for passing health care reform, we are
writing to reiterate our request to meet with you at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss what we believe are serious problems with the current approach being considered in H.R. 3200, the House version of health care reform legislation. We would also like to raise with you potential areas of common ground that can help make bipartisan health care reform a reality.

In your speech to our body last Wednesday, you stated, “If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.” We believe we have serious proposals that merit your consideration.

In the past two months, we have all individually requested to meet with you, but in an effort to try to accommodate your schedule, we would be willing to meet as a group, as we have many similar concerns.

We appreciate your commitment to enacting health care reform, and hope you will
work with us to find a mutually convenient time to have a discussion about our ideas.
Everyday there are news articles, polls and op-eds released showing serious concerns from people all over the country regarding the health care plan in Congress (H.R. 3200). In a study done by Investor’s Business Daily (IBD), physicians were asked the following question: Will the quality of care for seniors improve under health care reform currently being considered by Congress?

Of the 1,376 physicians polled who answered their survey, 65% said that
government reform would lead to lower-quality care for seniors. Just 28%
said it would lead to better care for seniors, while 7% declined to answer. Even more troubling, IBD polled that two out of every three doctors oppose the medical overhaul plan under consideration in Washington (H.R. 3200). In addition, the poll found that four of nine doctors, or 45%, said they “would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement” if Congress passes the plan the Democratic majority and White House have in mind.

Congress needs to work together to come up with true health care reform that does not compromise care. I’m ready, willing and able to do that. I look forward to the chance to do that with my Congressional colleagues and the President. Please feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family. You can
contact my office by mail, email or phone. Our contact information can be
found on our website, http://www.roe.house.gov/.

Comment: I am more and more convinced that the President and the Democrats in Congress are less interested in solving the real health care crisis that faces this country than they are in grabbing power and expanding the public sector. There are numerous proposals that could reform health care without destroying the system we have now. These proposals are being ignored. The President is not interested in bi-partisan solutions. His appeal to bi-partisanshp is simply window dressing for a radical agenda. This is all about transforming the character of America, not about solving a serious problem.

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