CIR Members Hold House Parties on Health Care Reform

As healthcare emerged as a major issue in the ’08 Presidential election, CIR members wanted to be well-informed about the two candidates’ plans for healthcare reform, and how their different approaches stack up from a physician perspective.

In response, CIR jumped into action, helping to organize healthcare discussions or “house parties” in nearly all of our regions throughout the fall. The events culminated in action.

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Participants wrote to their members of Congress and asked them to sign the Health Care for America Now pledge to guarantee quality, affordable healthcare for all. CIR members in New Mexico made their case for comprehensive healthcare reform to their Congressional candidate, while members in Florida heard directly from experts in the field.

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from other doctors how embarrassed they are that they know so little about the differences between the two candidates’ plans,” said Dr. Raj Khandwalla, a PGY 4 in Internal Medicine at NYC’s Bellevue Hospital, who led a discussion October 14 with a PowerPoint presentation on the complexities of healthcare policy. House parties were held in five other hospitals throughout the NYC area.

In Los Angeles, residents from a variety of specialties at LAC + USC Hospital met at a restaurant October 9 to discuss the candidates’ plans. Among the topics touched on was how tying physicians’ pay to outcomes would result in a decrease in care for extremely ill patients.

There was also staunch opposition to any cuts to Medicare. In San Francisco, CIR Regional VP Rachel Kreps-Falk held the event at her house September 12,where members from throughout the Northern California region had a chance to share their ideas. Pediatrician and Family Medicine residents discussed how the different plans would affect children and adults. In New Mexico, CIR members met for a house party on October 15th, and also met with Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich in September to share their views on what is important in reforming the US healthcare system.

“I am entering a healthcare system that makes it impossible for me to provide the care that I want formy patients,” said CIR member Anthony Fleg, MD, a PGY 1 in Family and Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico Hospital. “As a CIR physician, I want to stand for a different model of healthcare, one in which people are treated based on their health needs, not on the depth of their pocketbooks,” Dr. Fleg said. In November, Heinrich was elected to Congress.

CIR President L. Toni Lewis, MD, joined Massachusetts CIR residents for a dinner healthcare discussion held at Boston Medical Center on October 22. Much of the discussion focused on the paradox that market- driven healthcare has resulted in not enough care for the uninsured and too much (or the wrong) care for many people with insurance.

CIR Regional VP Janetta Dominic Cureton, MD and CIR Delegate Dylan Steen, MD gave introductory remarks at a healthcare discussion in Miami, Florida on September 18. Experts from the U.S. and Canada covered a wide variety of perspectives. The more than 100 attendees included housestaff from Jackson Memorial Hospital, students, faculty and staff from the University of Miami and Miami-Dade College Medical Campus, the GMEC chairperson, program directors, nurses and others. They heard from Dr. Danielle Martin, President of the Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

Other speakers included Dr. Cecil B. Wilson of the AMA Board of Trustees; and Dr. Fred Ralston, Jr., Chair of the ACP’s Health & Policy Committee.