Nancy L. Johnson: “If we are out there talking to our constituents, if we keep in touch with the medical communities, not just the doctors…”

“If we are out there talking to our constituents, if we keep in touch with the medical communities, not just the doctors but the hospitals, the little home health agencies, and if we listen, we will know that our Nation is galloping toward a health care crisis of dimensions we have never faced before, a crisis of cost and a crisis of access. There are whole States in America where a woman cannot find an obstetrician who will take a high-risk pregnancy. If we talk to the specialty surgeons, many will not take the high-risk cases. Very quietly, access to sophisticated, high-risk care is declining in America. That is the unique strength of the American medical system and it is becoming inaccessible to more and more Americans. Just in going about my rounds, a five-town area is losing its ENT practice. ENT is a relatively low pickup specialty. Their liability premiums last year were only $22,000. Next year they are going to be closer to $50,000. There are not enough hours in the day for these physicians to see enough patients to pay the increase in those premiums. They are being forced to leave practice.”