will charge forward with policies that do not make good sense for those affected. It would be unreasonable to con- sider that economic policies would be adjusted without the consulta- tion of economists, but somehow the overhaul of health care policy was not enough to consult doctors, nurses, and the health care industry itself. So we are left with a new law and
regulations that are unfairly burden- ing the wallets of patients and the en- tire medical profession. That the Affordable Care Act was misguided, if not an outright fraud, has been well documented. As a doc- tor in Congress, I would prefer to re- peal the ACA. But even with a change in the political makeup of Congress, we know the administration will ul- timately oppose a dramatic rewrite. In the remaining two years of this president’s term, I believe there are
some adjustments that could be made that would immediately improve the situation for those most adversely af- fected by the law. People buying in the individual market have been hurt the worst by the ACA. These are the folks who have had affordable policies can- celed and now face dramatic premium increases along with astonishingly high deductibles. To provide even minimal relief, I
believe that we need to make health savings accounts available for every- one, that we ought to make health insurance premiums tax deductible, and that we need to promote pricing competition through market reform and allow patients to shop for cover- age across state lines.
I am fortunate enough to be joined
by others in Congress who believe these to be reasonable adjustments to the law. Adjustments that will provide patients with health care costs that
are reasonable and affordable. Adjust- ments that will allow physicians and providers to better serve their patients. And adjustments that make good and practical sense for the country. It strikes me that those are the kinds of adjustments that patients and health care professionals would appreciate and the kind of strong lead- ership that might just return a better overall rating for Congress in the next Gallup poll. More importantly, what is at stake here is the protection of pa- tients, which was the intended goal of the ACA from the start — sadly an unachievable goal with the law as it is currently written.
MICHAEL C. BURGESS, MD, Lewsiville, an obstetrician-gynecologist by training, represents Texas’ 26th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
recommendation: Test everyone born from
CDC 1945-1965 for Hepatitis C
People born from 1945-1965 account for 3 out of every 4 people with Hepatitis C, and more are unaware of their infection.
Testing only patients with elevated ALT’s may miss 50% of infection
Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplants
Care and treatment can help prevent Hepatitis C-related disease and deaths
12 TEXAS MEDICINE April 2015
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