Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/63200
captains of the health care delivery system. Their education, training and experience make that role most appropriate and in the best interests of patients. This is not to undermine the contributions of other health care professionals who are part of the modern health care delivery system. To think that nonphysician health care professionals can and should fill the void for primary care physicians is ludicrous. The vast majority of physicians were deeply disappointed that federal health care reform initiatives did not include medical liability reform like that passed in many states. In late March, the House of Representatives did provide good news for physicians when it passed a major medical liability reform bill. However, chances of this bill being passed in the Senate this year are dim. If the health insurance mandate is declared unconstitutional, fund- ing for health care reform becomes problematic. Americans want the best health care with all of the effective and costly technology, but they want someone else to pay the bill. There are a lot of critics who claim that America spends more for health care than any other country. When you look in depth at other countries, several things cannot and should not be overlooked. Those countries do not have the lawsuit frenzy of the United States, whether we are talking about medical liability or suits against other businesses and other professionals. Medical liability contributes significantly to the cost of care in the United States. In recent years, the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office stated that federal medical liability reform could save $50 billion. Access to expensive but effective medical treatment and procedures is limited in these other countries. Patients beyond certain ages are denied access to these treatments and pro- cedures. Last summer, I attended my wife's high school reunion. The valedictorian of the class in the small town where she grew up was the son of a physician. The former classmate is married to a woman from Ireland, where the couple now lives. I noticed he was limping and asked what was wrong and whether he anticipated any surgery to correct his condition. He answered very matter-of-factly that he has been waiting for a couple of years for governmental approval to have his surgery. Americans would not tolerate such delays and don't want Congress to pass legislation to limit access to expensive surgery and procedures, even for very elderly patients. While some argue that we spend too much for health care, others maintain that more governmental funding should be earmarked for health care. The proposed source of additional fund- ing under this scenario varies from person to person. The most-often-heard answer is that the rich should pay more taxes. Others say there are millions of people who pay no taxes, and they should help pay for their health care. Another idea is for a national sales tax whereby the taxes collected would be set aside exclusively for health care. Every adult in the country, regardless of income or citizenship, would pay this sales tax on all items they purchase. While our country may be among the least-taxed countries in the world, elected officials in this country are not crazy about raising taxes. People in public office shy away from imposing increased or new taxes for fear of not being re-elected. Term limits and eliminating private funding of political campaigns are other ideas put forth as ways to change the electoral system and to make things better. Those pushing for placing limits on health care expenditures favor more attention being paid to outcomes research. Money should be spent, they say, for that which has been proven effective. While access to some proce- dures or treatments could or would be reduced, proponents for increased use of outcomes research may be forgetting that this research would prompt more patients to seek procedures and treat- ments receiving high grades. It does not mean that they will forego surgery and treatments entirely. Physicians and everybody else await the Supreme Court decision. Gerald N. (Jerry) Hoffman is Executive Vice President of the Onondaga County Medical Society and is co-author of two books, Medical Malpractice Insurance, A Legislator's View and The History of Local Medical Care, 1806–2006. s MDNEWS.COM s MD NEWS Central New York | 23