On the recordMarch 16, 2010
I am a physician who has treated the uninsured in a teaching hospital for the last 20 years and, indeed, not just the uninsured, but oftentimes the people who have Medicaid. So I applaud the President and my Democratic colleagues because they want to lower costs and expand access to quality care. On the other hand, where we greatly differ is, as my colleague just said, he is quite content with giving Medicaid to more and more people. Now, it ignores the fact that it is bankrupting the States. It ignores the fact that right now I treat patients who have Medicaid in a public hospital because they can't be seen in a private place. And, it ignores an article in The New York Times which points out that, as Medicaid payments shrink, patients and doctors lose. In this case, a woman with cancer has lost because payments are so low for Medicaid that no longer can she find a provider who can afford to treat her. So we do differ. I do not want to give Medicaid to everybody. I want to strengthen the private insurance market and allow those with preexisting conditions to have the same health care we have, not lose their health care because of a government program.
