Health reform protest met with protesters

(Casper Star Tribune)On Saturday (11/21/2009) approximately 20 protesters showed up in response to a rally hosted by docs4patientcare.org. Thanks to all of those who came and showed that there is definitely two sides to this issue and that there are definitely people out there who want and need real reform to the current health insurance system. Below is the article printed in the Casper Star Tribune. Doctors warn against reform; protest met with protesters By TOM MORTON - Star-Tribune staff writer | Sunday, November 22, 2009 The cure of the Democrats version of health care reform is worse than the disease, several doctors said Saturday. "I'm literally fighting for my profession," heart surgeon Dr. Eric Munoz told a rally in Conwell Park south of the Wyoming Medical Center. If Congress passes the health care reform bill backed by President Barack Obama, upwards of 45 percent of physicians in America will quit in five years, Munoz said, citing a poll. "There won't be any doctors to take care of you," he said. The Casper protest, billed by organizer Brooke Chynoweth of the Natrona County Medical Society as a "medical tea party," was among six such events nationwide on Saturday according to www.docs4patientcare.org. It attracted about 100 people, including doctors, nurses, families and about 20 people who supported the 2,074-page health care reform bill before the U.S. Senate. Munoz said the protests arose among many physicians who opposed the American Medical Association's endorsement of the Democrats' health care reform proposal. "The AMA has sold out every physician in the country," Munoz said. Dr. Kent Katz, another speaker at the rally, disputed the high numbers -- 40-plus-million -- people who are said to be without health insurance, but acknowledged the pain of those without it. "If you're in the 90 percent with health insurance, you're OK," Katz said. "If you're in the 10 percent and diagnosed with cancer, it's a crisis." But the proposals before Congress are expected to cost several trillion dollars, which will lead to higher taxes and substantial cuts in Medicare -- the federal health insurance plan for those 65 and older -- that will make health care more expensive and less accessible, Katz said. Munoz added the Democrats' version of health care reform would wreck the doctor-patient relationship. The rush to pass the current legislation is unnecessary, and reformers should consider other solutions including opening insurance pools across state lines to promote competition and drive down insurance prices, he said. "Tort reform is a must," Munoz added. After his speech, he added that Wyoming doctors pay more for medical malpractice insurance than surrounding states because Wyoming has not changed its Constitution to allow limits to be placed on the amount of damages sought by those who sue doctors for malpractice. At the end of the rally, Katz acknowledged those who disagreed with his colleagues. "We have protesters protesting our protest," he said. Everybody wants health care reform, but Katz said he and his colleagues want patient-centered reform instead of health care run by the government. One of the protesting protesters, R.C. Johnson, said the doctors and those supporting them are relying on falsehoods and half-truths to push their message. The Democrats' version of health care reform is not socialized medicine, and it won't undercut Medicare benefits for seniors, Johnson said. Those opposing the bills before Congress have had to back away from assertions that health care reform will create "death panels" to decide who lives and dies, she said. Those who lack health insurance often delay seeking treatment for problems until they must go to an emergency room for care, which is expensive for those patients and raises the premiums for those who pay insurance, Johnson said. The current system also has driven people into bankruptcy, including insured people whose insurance companies withdraw their coverage, she said. The bills before Congress won't affect those with private insurance, either, Johnson said. "I've got great insurance, and I'm going to have great insurance after [reform]," she said. Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com.