Physicians encourage resolution on Mcare legislation

Central Penn Business Journal, Sep 26, 2008 by Holzman, Paula

STATE

Two weeks remain for the state Legislature and governor to reach an agreement on several pieces of controversial health care legislation.

And without an agreement, some physicians say recruiting doctors and convincing them to stay in the state will become vastly more difficult.

That's because Gov. Ed Rendell has linked the renewal of the state's Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error fund (Meare), with the passage of the Adult Basic Care plan (ABC).

Mcare helps physicians pay for medical-malpractice insurance coverage, and the fund expires in November.

The House passed ABC, but the Republicancontrolled Senate has remained deadlocked on the issue. Republicans have introduced bills that would reauthorize Mcare independent of ABC, but the governor has said he will only agree to continue abatement in tandem with the expansion of health-insurance coverage targeted by ABC.

Two weeks remain in the legislative session.

Some physicians are urging resolution on the Mcare issue, without which, they say skyrocketing malpractice costs will drive physicians from the state.

"We're stuck in the middle," said Josh Scacco, spokesman for the Women's Health Care Group of PA, a Montgomery County-based obstetrics/gynecological collaboration. "We want health care access for everyone. But at the same time, we need to get paid for our job."

One in three OB / GYN practitioners in Pennsylvania leaves the state, largely because of the state's high insurance premiums, he said.

Physicians and hospital workers also held a press conference last week to address the issue.

"Action on Meare is needed to ensure our state is able to retain physicians currently practicing in our state and recruit new physicians," said Carolyn E Scanlan, president and chief execu- tive officer of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania,

Two-thirds of physicians who attend rned- ical school in Pennsylvania leave the state, said Dr. Craig Hillmeyer, vice dean of clinical affairs at the Penn State College of Medicine.

Scanlan and Hillmeyer spoke at last week's conference.

While the governor agrees that malpractice costs are burdensome, Amy Kelchner, spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Health Care Reform, said Rendell believes the state cannot continue to give taxpayer money to physicians when so many Pennsylvanians remain uninsured.

"The governor has said (the uninsured) are the folks we have to help," she said.*

BY PAULA HOLZMAN

paulah@journalpub.com