Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/61842
SPECIAL FEATURE Doctor's Mark on Health Care Reform A IN THE ONGOING HEALTH CARE REFORM MOVEMENT, THE MOST VISIBLE PLAYERS HAVE BEEN THE LAWMAKERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., DETERMINING THE OUTLOOK OF AMERICAN HEALTH CARE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION AND BEYOND WITH A PIECE OF LEGISLATION — THE FINAL HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2010. HOWEVER, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS LIKE RICHARD G. ROBERTS, M.D., J.D., ARE ENSURING — THROUGH INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL INVOLVEMENT AND CONTINUED ONE-ON-ONE PATIENT INTERACTION — THAT CHANGE DOES NOT COME ONLY FROM THE TOP DOWN. Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a general family practitioner in Belleville, WI. He has served as president of the Wisconsin Medical Society and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Currently, Dr. Roberts is 15 months into a three-year term as President of the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca). DR. Around the World In his current role, Dr. Roberts acts as the voice of family medicine practitioners around the globe through representation at the World Health Organization's assemblies and travels to approximately 40 countries every year. During his visits, he meets with presidents, ministers of health and physicians. He also spends time with young family doctors and medical school students and gathers information about their outlook on the country's health care system, as well as 12 | San Antonio MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM ROBERTS IS A professor of fam- ily medicine at the University of shadows family medicine providers in their own practices. "Serving with Wonca has presented a very interesting, informative and inspiring set of experiences because you're seeing it on the ground, often in the most diffi cult circumstances," Dr. Roberts says. "That's been a great joy of my professional career and a great insight: visiting people in the trenches and at the same time meeting with global leaders for discussions about health care and what health care systems should look like." Dr. Roberts reports that while no country has created the perfect model, telling details emerge in comparisons. The U.S. health care system ranks between 32 and 72 in global systems, its position dependent on the ranking's specific measurements. However, the U.S. system costs $2.7 trillion, or 18% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). Countries like Canada and Switzerland, whose health care systems are continuously tied at the third ranking worldwide, spend 11% of their GDPs on health care. Richard G. Roberts, M.D., J.D.