NJ Physicians views on healthcare

December 26, 2009

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday.

Today I would like once again to talk about healthcare reform and the disinformation about physicians views on this subject. The president and the congressional leaders like to say that the majority of physicians support healthcare reform. This is, unfortunately, very deceptive, if not an outright lie.

Please read below the Medical Society of New Jersey's letter on this subject from December 22. 2009.
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Dear Colleagues:

The United States Senate has chosen to amass a “Health Care Bill” that, in our opinion, will quickly destroy the ability for physicians to continue the practice of medicine.

The Senate Majority Leader has locked in 60 votes to break a filibuster against the legislation. His reported tacit dealings with Louisiana, Vermont and Nebraska senators for votes are obviously “Washington politics business as usual”. This disrespect for the citizens of our country sickens the Medical Society of New Jersey.

WE CANNOT, AND WILL NOT, SUPPORT THE PROPOSED SENATE BILL BECAUSE IT:
• Lacks Any Tort Reform
• Doesn’t Permanently Fix the SGR Formula
• Will Break the Medicaid System in New Jersey (already the worst in the country)
• Lacks Transparency and Detail on the Effect on Physician Practices

The Medical Society of New Jersey is not supporting the American Medical Association’s position on this issue nor their ineffective approach to this major piece of legislation.
We personally want all physicians of New Jersey to know that the Medical Society of New Jersey is appalled at our representation by the AMA and are not supportive of their leadership.

Very truly yours,

Joseph H. Reichman, MD
President
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To read more opinion from the MSNJ, please go here.

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My opinion:

Point 1) National organizations have lost touch with their constituents.

American Medical Association is in favor of the present reform package, while the NJ state society is adamantly against.

Point 2) Our elected politicians have all elected to vote along party lines, instead of with their constituents. The latest Rasmussen Reports weekly tracking update shows that 41% of voters nationwide favor the bill and 55% are opposed. Yet the politicians still seem bent on voting for reform.

Point 3) Ethics - I know. It is strange to use ethics and politicians in the same sentence.

But I cannot even accept a pen from a drug rep, yet congress can bribe senators with hundreds of millions of sweetheart dollars to buy votes for a reform plan that will effectively decimate the future of american medicine in a very short time. And where does the congress get these hundreds of millions of dollars. I'll tell you where. From the taxes that we pay!

If we want the healthcare system reformed, it is time to ask individual physicians, not national organizations, hospital systems, Big Pharma, health insurers, medical suppliers, or even large physician groups. The larger the organization, the further away from individual thought we get. Large organizations tend to cater to themselves, instead of their customers, in this case, you, the patient. This is another of the reasons I founded The Institute For Medical Wellness, and have remained a solo family practice physician. In my practice, I only answer to you!

No politics.
No lies.
No deceptions.
High ethics.

I could go further, but I have said enough for now.

The Institute For Medical Wellness will continue to operate as it has since 2008. As we do not accept third party insurance, we are somewhat insulated from the Washington D.C. shenanigans. We do however still accept Traditional Medicare, as at present, the government bureaucrats stay out of patient care. But this reform bill may change that. Our participation with Medicare may end, leaving more Medicare patients less options for their care, unless they choose to join our Wellness plans or pay fully out-of-pocket. As many seniors are on fixed incomes, this could create an economic hardship. If that occurs, please feel free to thank Congress and the president for their meddling.

OK.

Enough about politics!

I am still a physician and providing healthcare is what I love to do.

So look soon for the rollout of our new wellness plans, along with our new Healthy Weight Program.

We also now have a list of the supplements we offer which can be found here.

To Good Health!!

Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Board Certified Family Practice
Founder of The Institute For Medical Wellness
128 Borton Landing Road, Suite Two
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Phone 856-231-0590
Fax 856-294-0311
www.drhorvitz.com