The House Energy and Commerce Committee immediately tackled Medicare's physician payment problem when it resumed negotiations on the House healthcare reform bill, defeating a Republican amendment to replace Medicare's sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula. Debate began when Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), a physician, offered an amendment that would replace the SGR formula with one… Read more »

It would probably be only a minister who would describe it that way. But Bennie Grissom, Lewisville Fire Department chaplain, was not being inaccurate when he blessed the city’s newest firehouse Monday morning at a dedication ceremony, stating that it will “minister” to the needs of the city. A crowd of about 200 people came in the rain for a dedication ceremony which was moved… Read more »

The Congress is well under way with the consideration of health care reform bills that will make significant changes to our country's health insurance system. There is near universal agreement—on both sides of the aisle—that something must be done. Unfortunately, the current approach to reform the insurance system is flawed, and I believe it will be detrimental to the practice of… Read more »

Last week Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) held another GOP Whip Team bloggers' conference call. I took part, ironically I was in California, but I struggled with internet hook-ups while I was vacationing in the Yosemite area. So a few days late, here is my report from that call. McCarthy is the Republican Chief Deputy Whip in the House, and as always he kicked off the call. He almost… Read more »

The effort to insure tens of millions of uncovered Americans will almost certainly involve a sweeping expansion of Medicaid – with Texas probably feeling the impact more than any other state. State lawmakers have for years limited Medicaid's reach to low-income adults, who under Texas rules don't qualify for the joint state-federal program. One proposal by U.S. House lawmakers would… Read more »

A lot of people had a part in making a new spacious building a reality for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Denton County, and a lot of people showed up Wednesday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to tour the new facility at 1854 Cain Dr. in Lewisville. “I would estimate that we had 500 people walk through the agency between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday for the grand… Read more »

The president and many Democrats are urging Congress to quickly pass their idea of health reform because they say it is key to economic recovery and better health. We fail to see how creating scores of new bureaucracies will revitalize anything except the governing class in Washington. Here are just a few of the new entities and processes the House Democrats’ bill establishes: the… Read more »

Late one night several years ago, when I was practicing medicine in Lewisville, I was called to assist another physician with a complicated delivery. I rushed to the hospital to help, but things did not go well that evening. The baby did not survive. Other than assisting in a time of crisis, I had played no role in diagnosing or treating this patient throughout her pregnancy or her… Read more »

A dozen members of the House GOP Doctors Caucus fired off a letter to the American Medical Association on Friday, taking the organization to task for its endorsement of a House Democratic health care overhaul bill (HR 3200). “We fully believe that the AMA has lost touch with the vast majority of physicians in this country,” wrote the House members. The Republicans said that important… Read more »

The Energy and Commerce Committee recessed early Friday afternoon following a chaotic start to a multi-day markup on a major health care overhaul. The measure (HR 3200), the result of input from the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor committees, would expand health insurance by requiring individuals to get coverage and mandating that employers provide… Read more »