It's a New Day for Health Reform in Washington -- and You Should Be Involved

In my 28 years of being a family doctor, I've never seen a time like this. Finally -- finally! -- there seems to be enough muscle and political will to power a home run for health care system reform. Already in 2009, more has occurred to change health care policy than in the past decade -- and the change is just beginning. This year, your active involvement in shaping reform is more critical than ever before.

To give you an idea of the mood in Washington, I want to share what I experienced at the recent White House summit that President Obama convened to build bipartisan support for reforming the nation's broken health care system. The AAFP was one of seven medical associations invited to the March 5 event, and I was honored to represent you there. About 120 individuals attended, including legislators and representatives of stakeholder organizations.

It was magical to have such a large, influential group gather in the White House to discuss this vital issue. First, Obama eloquently addressed the need for reform this year, stressing that fixing health care will go a long way toward fixing the economy. Then we divided into breakout groups.

I joined in the breakout session moderated by Nancy-Ann DeParle, the new director of the White House Office of Health Reform, and I was delighted to hear Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus, D-Mont., bring up the patient-centered medical home and the need to strengthen primary care.

This is incredibly important because Baucus is taking the lead on crafting a major health care reform bill in concert with the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chaired by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. That bill is expected to be out in June.

It's also important that Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was in the breakout session and heard the comments by Baucus, because Waxman will play a key role in reform as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Following the breakout sessions, we all gathered again for the summit's final session, where Obama called on several people from the assembled group to offer their insights.

And then the most amazing thing happened. The AAFP hadn't been assigned a speaking role at the summit, but suddenly, to my complete surprise, our country's president said he wanted to hear from the nation's physicians -- and he called on me for comments.

I was shocked to have this opportunity drop into my lap. What should I say? I hadn't prepared anything! So I stood up about 10 feet from the president, looked him in the eye, and said the words that flowed from my heart.

I thanked him for his leadership in assembling the group and said I was honored to be there. Speaking for all Academy members, I told him that we believe health care coverage should be expanded to everyone in the United States, but I also warned him of the need to fix the primary care workforce so patients actually have access to that care.

I told him that the nation's family physicians are ready to roll up their shirtsleeves and do everything possible to make reform work, because it's the right thing to do.

And then I sat down, elated that the president had called on the Academy to speak for the nation's physicians. He could have called on one of the other medical groups at the summit, including the AMA, but he didn't. He chose us. He chose family physicians!

I think this speaks volumes about the respect the Academy has gained in Washington and the respect the people on Capitol Hill have for you, the family doctor in the trenches. They know family physicians and the patient-centered medical home will play a key role in the reform that's coming. They know we are part of the solution.

But although reform is more possible than ever, naysayers will fight it. Some will suggest putting it off because of the expense. I'm sure the debate will be lively, loud and contentious. For change to prevail, each and every Academy member needs to step up to the plate and slug away for reform.

Fortunately, it's easier than ever for you to do just that, thanks to the exciting new e-advocacy, grass-roots campaign the AAFP has unveiled. The Connect for Reform (Members Only) campaign uses new tools and technologies to bring you, the member, into the health care reform process. You should have received an e-mail about the campaign on March 18, and I hope you clicked "opt in" to get your front-row seat to the health care debate in Washington. If you missed the e-mail, you can sign up online.

Connect for Reform will e-mail you periodic insights and analysis on the reform debate and tell you how you can help, providing tools that are quick and easy to use. What a boon for busy family doctors.

With Connect for Reform, we can align our people, our passion, our power and our purpose and push as we've never pushed before for a primary care-based system. Thank you for joining me in this new campaign. Together, let's hit a home run for our specialty and for the American people.