Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, today sent a letter to President Obama once again accepting his invitation to meet and discuss health care reform proposals. Along with the letter, Rep. Burgess sent information on four of his health care bills, which he believes would bring about widely-supported, meaningful reforms to our nation’s health care system if passed.

Burgess’ latest attempt comes after President Obama stated in his joint address to Congress last Wednesday, “If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.  My door is always open.”

“I was pleased to hear President Obama state once again that he is willing to meet with Republicans to discuss ways we can work together to pass meaningful reforms. As a doctor, I worked in our country’s health care system, and I have many ideas of ways we can achieve our shared goals, and I am available to meet with President Obama at his earliest convenience.”

A copy of the letter is below and attached. Also attached are summaries of the four bills mentioned in the letter below:

September 16, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I am once again compelled to write to you to accept your offer to meet with you at the White House to discuss the health care reform proposals currently before us.

I listened intently as you addressed the Joint Session of Congress on September 9, 2009, and you once again extended an olive branch to members of the minority. I want to reiterate that I am completely committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to deliver reforms that all Americans can be comfortable with, increase access to care, lower health care costs for America’s families and businesses, and deliver changes to the health system that improve quality.

I thank you for your public commitment to accept innovative ideas from Republicans and hope that you will follow through with your public pledge by reviewing this letter thoroughly. As you stated last week: “I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead.  If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.  My door is always open.”

I accept your gracious offer and want you to know that it is not my intention to “kill” health reform. In fact, I stand proudly by my bipartisan work in the U.S. House of Representatives on health care issues. Several of my amendments in the Energy & Commerce Committee were accepted unanimously while others are currently under negotiation with Chairman Waxman for inclusion in a final House product.

That said, I have read the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) and I do concede I have many concerns with the approach the bill takes. Many of the items you outlined in your speech do have wide bipartisan support. While we may have disagreements on the policy approaches to address those problems we will never know if we can find common ground if we do not try.

To assist you in identifying measures that could gain wide bipartisan support I am enclosing four pieces of legislation that will make incremental but important reforms to our health system. I believe that, with your leadership, these measures could be passed and signed into law before Thanksgiving. These efforts would show that we can work together to make important reforms that improve access to care and protect the doctor/patient relationship.

Physician Workforce: H.R. 914, the Physician Workforce Enhancement Act, would establish an interest-free loan program for eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs in certain high-need specialties. Under the program, eligible hospitals could receive up to $1,000,000 that must be repaid within 3 and half years. H.R. 914 will provide needed resources to smaller and emerging communities so they can attract and retain the medical professionals their communities will rely on in the future. If we do nothing to assist the training of physicians, waiting lines will grow longer, lapses in treatment will occur, and many of our small and rural communities will be at risk of not having physicians to meet their growing needs.

Medical Liability Reform: As you alluded to in your speech, too many doctors are forced to practice defensive medicine and face the constant threat of lawsuits and unsustainable medical liability insurance rates. This results in millions of dollars in unnecessary tests and procedures. Seasoned medical professionals are retiring early because staying in practice is no longer financially feasible, further contributing to our nation's doctor shortage. This is a growing crisis that is pushing affordable health care beyond the grasp of millions of Americans. H.R. 1468, the Medical Justice Act, is based on medical liability reform implemented in Texas. The reforms have created a magnet for doctors and provided the funding mechanism to improve access to care and enhance patient safety. To prove the success of Texas’ reforms, I’d like to share a few of the statistics, from the Texas Medical Association:

• Since the 2003 reforms, Texas has licensed 14,496 new physicians. This is a 36 percent increase from pre-reform.
• Thirty-three rural counties have seen a net gain in ER doctors, including 26 counties that previously had none.
• After years of decline, the ranks of medical specialists are growing in Texas. In my field of obstetrics, Texas saw a net loss of 14 obstetricians in the two years preceding reform. Since then the state has experienced a net gain of 192 obstetricians, and 26 rural counties have added an obstetrician, including ten counties that previously had none.
• Charity care rendered by Texas hospitals has increased by 24 percent, resulting in $594 million in free care to Texas’ patients.
• Texas physicians have saved $574 million in liability insurance premiums, a significant savings that has allowed more doctors to stay in their practice.

Medicare Reform: Many new Medicare beneficiaries find it difficult to locate a doctor who will accept Medicare. This is because physicians around the country realize that Medicare is an unstable payer, subject to the whims of political will and influence, and are doing what they must to protect their small businesses. Physicians are scheduled to receive a significant reduction in Medicare payments on January 1, 2010. The Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act, a bill I plan on introducing shortly, will give doctors what they really need – a stable and reasonable predictor of an inflationary reimbursement under Medicare. This will allow seniors to maintain access to their doctor. The legislation also rewards quality reporting of data, further incentivizes the adoption of Health Information Technology, and brings increased transparency on utilization, billing, and funding to the Medicare program.

Health Care Price Transparency: A patient should be able to know what they are paying for and how much they will pay out-of-pocket. H.R. 2249, the Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act, directs states to establish and maintain laws requiring disclosure of information on hospital charges. The legislation requires hospitals and health plans to make this information available to the public, and to provide individuals with information about estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care services. H.R. 2249 aims to make health care more affordable by promoting greater transparency about the cost of health care services for patients seeking care. The legislation sets a national floor for transparency. As someone who has committed his Administration to transparency, this is an important step in helping make health care, and specifically health care costs, more transparent, which empowers the consumer.

As a practicing physician for over 25 years, I believe I bring a unique perspective to the current health care reform debate. I am committed to finding areas of collaboration between the political parties that can deliver meaningful system reforms that will benefit all Americans. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review both the efforts outlined above and also my areas of concern with H.R. 3200 so that we may mutually work to bring quality, affordable health care to all Americans.

I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience. Should your staff have any questions about any of the attached proposals or would like to arrange a meeting, please contact me or my Legislative Director J.P. Paluskiewicz at my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-7772.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Burgess, M.D.
Member of Congress