Doctor, when do the uninsured get their turn?

Governor Rendell and the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PMS) are in a tug-a-war over insurance.  All of us will be affected by how this turns out.

PMS requested the Governor to extend the March 31 deadline for physicians to pay their annual medical malpractice insurance premiums that support Mcare.   (Mcare is the risk-sharing pool through which physicians have been able to reduce the cost of their protection against malpractice lawsuits.)  The Governor declined, pointing out that the payments are past due and that legislative authority for the payments to be abated (reduced) expired three months ago – on December 31.

In his reply to the physicians, the Governor praised legislation recently passed by the Pennsylvania House (SB 1137).  It reauthorized Mcare for ten years, increased abatements for doctors, and also expanded health insurance for low-income Pennsylvanians who have been without health insurance for at least 180 days. The Governor said the House-passed legislation would be a win for doctors, other health care providers, and people seeking health care coverage.

Now some physicians are upset.  For the first time in at least five years, they need to make full payment for their state-administered medical malpractice protection.  Some blame the Governor for this because he supports the way the House-passed legislation addresses both problems (expensive medical malpractice insurance and 800,000 adults without health insurance) in one bill. 

SB 1137 has moved back to the Senate, where the leaders have indicated they are inclined to take care of the doctors first and let the uninsured wait until later. 

Doctor, when do the uninsured get their turn?  When will your lobbyist in Harrisburg -- the Pennsylvania Medical Society – take a stand for your patients?

For more information click on SB 1137: Helps the Doctors and Helps the Uninsured