Democrats and Doctors…A New Coalition?

Submitted by S Turner on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 7:12am

The Medicare vote in the Senate this week, highlighted by Ted Kennedy's triumphant return, was encouraging for proponents of universal health coverage. At least, that's how Paul Krugman sees it (and I agree):

But the vote was bigger than the theatrics. It was the first major health care victory that Democrats have won in a long time. And it was enormously encouraging for advocates of universal health care.

Ostensibly, Wednesday’s vote was about restoring cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. What it was really about, however, was the fight against creeping privatization. Democrats finally took a stand — and, thanks to Senator Kennedy, seem to have prevailed.

Ezra Klein weighs in with this:

From a sheer political power perspective, an alliance between Democrats and doctors could prove a very powerful thing indeed.

Next up, did you hear about Elizabeth Edwards new position? She is headlining Health Care For America NOW, a 40 million dollar campaign to promote legislation which guarantees quality, affordable healthcare for all. Their website is here.

And finally, if I were Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi I would put SCHIP back on the table. It seems others are thinking the same thing.

Yup. The prospect of universal health coverage just got a whole lot better this week.

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Good news indeed.

Submitted by James on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 7:32am.

Thanks for the post. Frontpaged.

Geez, and I just gave it five stars for nothing!

Submitted by Robert P. on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 8:46am.

----insert witty remark here----coming soon----

Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me

Okay. I'll unfrontpage it and give it five stars too

Submitted by James on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 8:58am.

You're right. We need more folks promoting and recommending posts.

Oh, poor ST! But, it will get longer exposure...

Submitted by Robert P. on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 9:04am.

Folks, this is an absolutely ground-breaking shift. For those of you who don't think about these things, this is the equivalent of Wall Street moguls deciding that Democrats are better for their wallets, or the Sierra Club deciding to shift their support to Republicans.

Doctors were long the strongest lobby against universal health care. In some ways, the HMOs coming out and destroying our health care system and treating doctors so poorly is probably responsible for this apparent shift.

Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me

This group also adds some "umph"

Submitted by Leslie H on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 9:11am.

to a strong coalition with Doctors, too.

I'm really excited to see this movement. Our county chair sent out this article a while back and I have been hoping something tangible and effective would come of it.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Looks like that article link doesn't work

Submitted by Leslie H on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 9:43am.

If you google "physicians universal health care" it will come up about half way down the results page with this title ...

Why America's Doctors Should Support Universal Healthcare

Here is the Abstract:

Discussion of universal healthcare is nothing new for US politicians or among reform advocates, policy experts, or the general public. Physicians, however, have been minor voices in the discussion. Their relative silence has been detrimental both to the public and to physicians themselves. We pose 3 arguments as to why physicians should support universal access grounded in medicine's own self-interest, arguments that are largely ignored in the current debate. These are: (1) the need for paying patients, (2) the need for a sense of self-esteem rooted in professionalism rather than commercialism, and (3) the urgency to affirm a public purpose for medicine by promoting the nation's health through universal care.

Who has a stake in universal healthcare? Some groups, such as those lacking insurance, are obviously at risk and have a keen interest. Others, such as insured workers, have a less obvious but demonstrable concern. Arguments that urge adoption of an inclusive system typically focus on "healthcare horror stories" designed to evoke sympathy for the unfortunate persons whose lives are forever changed by unmet health needs or unpaid health bills.[1] Our focus is different. We ask, regarding universal healthcare, "What's in it for physicians?" While the active support of doctors may not be a sufficient force to change the US system, it is probably a necessary one. At a minimum, universal coverage will be far less likely if physicians are opposed to it. Our aim here is to explore and discuss some of the reasons that should motivate active physician involvement in a more just and equitable system. We will discuss 3 reasons in particular. They are: (1) the need for paying patients; (2) the need to take pride in what one does -- that is, the need to be nurtured by recognition of skillful professional performance in medical work, and not just rewarded monetarily; and (3) the importance of embracing a public purpose for medicine and thus engaging the trust and esteem of the population. We will examine each of these in turn, but first we will discuss briefly the other constituencies for universal coverage, since their reasons for supporting an inclusive system are often shared by doctors.

The rest of the article is just as excellent, even if it does take a little work to find it. :)

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

I've got the low-down, I was Backpaged blues...

Submitted by Steve Turner on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 11:29am.

I see two trends which favor increased physician support of progressive issues.
1) Physicians are starting to see that "Tort Reform" is largely an exploitative wedge issue (disclaimer: some high-risk specialists have legitimate concerns about their malpractice premiums).
2) Female physicians are now approximately half of the medical school grads (up from about a third in the 80's). Recent grads tend to focus more on lifestyle issues rather than salary issues. My guess is that female providers make up a higher percentage of primary care MD's and public health positions...both of which would favor universal health coverage.