ICYMI: ‘Always Get A Second Opinion — Public Option Is Not Good For You’

CARSON CITY, Nev. – In a new op-ed published by the Elko Daily Free Press, leaders of Nevada’s health care community are warning lawmakers to “take it from the vast majority of doctors in Nevada that” creating a new state government-controlled health insurance system known as the state government option “is the wrong prescription at the wrong time in our struggle to see costs lowered and access to care improved.”

In the joint op-ed, the Nevada State Medical Association; Nevada ACEP; Nevada Orthopaedic Society; Nevada State Society of Anesthesiologists; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, NV Chapter; and the Nevada Medical Group Management Association write:

The inconvenient truth is that this government expansion idea flies in the face of the Affordable Care Act and will not, in any meaningful way, improve access for patients — which is the reform we physicians want above anything else.

And while we’re talking about consequences of this mandated government plan, the other bad outcome of this public option, were it to become law, is that it does nothing to address the critical doctor shortage in Nevada.

As Nevada continues to grow in population, it’s simply illogical that we would enact more laws that result in fewer physicians practicing medicine. By mandating that hospitals and providers currently participating in Medicaid and CHIP be forced to provide more care runs the serious risk of countless physicians dropping off Medicaid panels to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of patients currently enrolled. It just doesn’t make any sense.

In our view the focus should be placed exclusively on moving more already-eligible patients on to the Medicaid rolls and taking full advantage of the ACA’s menu of existing options. More than half of the uninsured population is eligible for Medicaid or the Exchange. We believe the State of Nevada should train its focus on helping patients become enrolled.

We proudly consider it part of our jobs to work together to encourage more Nevadans to sign up for health care instead of inventing ways to make it harder and more expensive for them to access health care.

We all swore an oath to do no harm, and in that spirit, we thought you should hear a second opinion and see where we stand on this public option which is not really a good option at all.

To read the health care leaders’ full op-ed in the Elko Daily Free Press, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about Nevada’s Health Care Future, CLICK HERE.