Members of Congress Extol Contributions, Experience of Family Physicians

Congress needs to adopt a Medicare payment system that compensates physicians for providing primary health care services, said a member of Congress during the AAFP Family Medicine Congressional Conference here May 16-18.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told attendees that "a new physician fee system should accurately reflect the value of providing primary care."

"This is something I want to work with (the Academy) on," said Capps. "Let us build toward that goal."

Capps, a registered nurse, also called for increases in Title VII funding, sparking applause and cheers from the audience. Title VII of the Public Health Service Act funds academic departments and programs for the training of primary care health professionals.

"We see the shortages of individuals practicing in our professions," creating questions as to "who we are going to hand off to one day," lamented Capps.

Capps was speaking during a reception for FamMedPAC, the Academy's federal political action committee, on the first day of the conference. She told about 100 members and supporters preparing to visit House and Senate offices during their annual lobbying day on May 17 that their presence on Capitol Hill was critical. "You have an opportunity to educate somebody when you go into an office, who doesn't understand health care needs like you do," Capps said.

"We have a lot of issues dealing with health care where you don't want to leave it up to the guys on Capitol Hill to solve," said Capps. "We have to have you folks there to make your expertise available so we will cast the right votes."

Family physicians are acknowledged experts on the importance of primary care, making them uniquely qualified to explain the issue on Capitol Hill, said Capps.

The Democratic takeover of Congress has renewed interest in health care issues on Capitol Hill, benefiting the AAFP and other health-related organizations, she noted.

"There is a new role in Congress for your priorities to be valued," Capps said. "We are now in a position to listen to you more carefully and to follow up on your suggestions and your advice. It won't happen overnight. We've had a number of years where we have been unable to make the kind of changes that we need to."

During a May 18 breakfast briefing for conference attendees, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told conference attendees that health care should be a constitutional right for all Americans. Every American, he said, "deserves decent, equal, high-quality health care, and they deserve it from womb to tomb."

Jackson was there to receive the AAFP's National Leadership in Government Service Award for his work on health care issues in Congress.

"In our economy, as people float between employment and unemployment, between part-time work and full-time work, the idea that sickness is waiting in our families for when we have full-time employment opportunities and are covered by some company's health care plan is absurd," said Jackson.

"Sickness happens to show up when it shows up and makes up its own mind," he said. "Our families deserve the quality of care that many family physicians provide across this country. The litmus test must be: If you are sick, is the care available?"

He added that the idea that health care is our right as Americans "is something we must firmly believe. It is not something the polls are going to tell us. It is not something the Democratic Party is going to lead us to or, for that matter, the Republican Party will lead us to. It will be led to us by our sense of humanity for our fellow man and our fellow woman."