The Season for Action on Health Care Reform!

President Obama told Congress and the nation last week that "now is the season for action." It is up to us to overcome the partisan politics and to unite together to move forward to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable and quality health care. It is up to us to educate others about the need for health care reform in order to overcome the fear involved in such dramatic change. We can come together as a group of able physicians to do this because it is a natural extension of the care we provide for our patients every day.

Please join colleagues on Monday October 5^th in Washington, D.C. when NPA members, medical students from AMSA, and physicians from numerous other organizations will come together to share front-line experiences with policymakers at the heart of health reform. This is an opportunity for meaningful dialogue and open exchange, as well as a chance to meet with your own members of congress. Details regarding exact times and locations are almost finalized, but we do need you to RSVP so we can plan accordingly.

Come to Washington and share your passion and ideas for health care reform before critical votes take place in the House and Senate.

Last Wednesday night, President Obama stated, "Well, the time for bickering is over.  The time for games has passed.  Now is the season for action.  Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do.  Now is the time to deliver on health care."

Don't miss this fantastic video of NPA members, featuring Dr. Jonathan Arend, at a health care rally in NYC on August 29th:

Dr. Oni Blackstock received a mention in the blog, "Raising Women's Voices for Health Care Reform" highlighting a health care teach in held on September 10^th in New York City that was cosponsored by NPA:

A poll in The New England Journal of Medicine indicates that physicians overwhelmingly approve a public plan option. The article was written by Drs. Salomeh Keyhani and Alex Federman. The following graphs, showing that a majority of physicians support the public option, are from the New England Journal of Medicine:

The Senate HELP committee named a new chairman last week, with Senator Tom Harkin taking over the helm. Some are saying that Harkin may have a harder line to toe with regards to the public option, since he is not facing reelection next year. See this article:

Senator Max Baucus today released his Chairman's mark on the Senate Finance Committee's bill, "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009."  The full committee will begin markup at 9 am on Tuesday Sept. 22nd.

Dr. Jonathan Arend received a mention in a Thibodeaux, Louisiana newspaper, discussing the rising costs of health care:

NPA received a mention in this article about President Obama's speech last week:

Although health care costs have doubled between 1996 and 2006, the percentage of individuals and families with employer-sponsored health care have been dropping steadily since 2000. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a report on September 10^th showing that: 

• One in six Americans with employer-sponsored insurance in 2006 lost that coverage by 2008.
• A family that buys insurance on the individual market pays nearly 60 percent more in out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-payments than a family that gets insurance through work.
• Almost 75 percent of individuals looking for coverage on the individual market never bought a plan, with 61 percent of those who did not purchase the insurance citing premium cost as the primary reason.

Save the date for a trip to Washington D.C. - Monday, October 5^th!

Come to Washington and share your passion and ideas for health care reform before critical votes take place in the House and Senate. Meet with your members of Congress.

More details will follow, but we do need you to RSVP early to facilitate our planning. It's going to be a great day! Please sign up here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1021/signUp.jsp?key=4531

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