Rep. Gingrey -- A Doctor -- Misrepresents Physician Support For Health Care Reform
Speaking on the House floor today, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) touted his own credentials as a doctor as supposed "proof" that physicians don't support a public option. In reality, nearly 3/4 of doctors support some form of government administered insurance plan.
Rep. Gingrey Falsely Stated American Doctors Oppose Reform Proposals
Rep. Gingrey:
As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I can assure the President that the majority of physicians in this country are for health care reform -- just not the government-run reform that he prefers. [Gingrey Floor Speech, 10/6/09]
In Reality, 3/4 Doctors Support Some Form Of Government-Run Plan
Huffington Post: "Three Out Of Four Physicians Nationwide Support Inclusion Of A Public Option." Huffington Post wrote: "A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) study published in Monday's New England Journal of Medicine shows that 63 percent of physicians support a health reform proposal that includes both a public option and traditional private insurance. If the additional 10 percent of doctors who support an entirely public health system are included, then approximately three out of four physicians nationwide support inclusion of a public option. Only 27 percent support a private-only reform that would provide subsidies for low-income individuals to purchase private insurance." [Huffington Post, 9/14/09]
Poll: 63% Of Physicians Favor The Public Option. As reported by NPR:
Among all the players in the health care debate, doctors may be the least understood about where they stand on some of the key issues around changing the health care system. Now, a new survey finds some surprising results: A large majority of doctors say there should be a public option.
When polled, "nearly three-quarters of physicians supported some form of a public option, either alone or in combination with private insurance options," says Dr. Salomeh Keyhani. She and Dr. Alex Federman, both internists and researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a random survey, by mail and by phone, of 2,130 doctors. They surveyed them from June right up to early September.
Most doctors - 63 percent - say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance. That's the position of President Obama and of many congressional Democrats. In addition, another 10 percent of doctors say they favor a public option only; they'd like to see a single-payer health care system. Together, the two groups add up to 73 percent.
When the American public is polled, anywhere from 50 to 70 percent favor a public option. So that means that when compared to their patients, doctors are bigger supporters of a public option. [NPR, 9/14/09; emphasis added]
