Physicians Support Health Reform With A Public Option

We've already seen that multiple physician groups support healthcare reform, including HR 3200, that includes a public option. We've also seen many, many loud/frantic opponents who would like to stop the process and eliminate any discussion of a public option.

Now, the New England Journal of Medicine publishes the result of a new survey in which most physicians (approximately 3/4) support health reform that includes a public option. This includes physicians of all specialties, though those that have less patient contact supported public options a little less than other clinicians.

In a related note, approximately 3/4 of physicians believe that physicians believe that addressing societal health policy issues is within the scope of their profession and that physicians are obligated to care for the uninsured and under-insured.

So: physicians, those with the most direct and meaningful interactions between patients and healthcare systems, believe that a public option is a valuable part of healthcare reform, and that advocating for this is within our vocation's calling.

So we need to speak up for our patients and we need to support reform that includes a public option. We cannot be silent about this.