By Christine Whitmarsh, RN BSN
Covering the politics of health care in a blog devoted to physicians, travel doctors, locum physicians, locum tenens physicians and other traveling primary care providers is inevitable, especially in light of the heightening politics of health care. On Monday, President Barack Obama addressed the annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Chicago. The president addressed many common concerns related to his proposed overhaul of health care, the possibility of socialized or universal medicine. This is increasingly becoming a physician controversy.
Mr. Obama discussed several aspects of his proposed health care reform, including cutting $200 billion of federal payments to hospitals and $313 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. But his most provocative comments were reserved for malpractice suits, a hot button issue amongst physicians, attorneys and health care consumer advocates. In fact, when the president announced in no uncertain terms that he is “against” limited malpractice lawsuit awards, the associated press reports that a chorus of booing reverberated throughout the audience. For its part, the AMA stated its commitment towards working with the president on shared goals.
All physicians, travel doctors, Locum Tenens jobs seekers and otherwise no doubt have mixed and personal opinions about the president’s message today and about his proposed health care reforms in general. These opinions on the subject are bound to escalate as lawmakers move closer and closer to a set in stone blueprint for how health care is to be delivered in America. As both patients and providers closely follow the unfolding developments in Washington D.C., Locum Tenens remains committed to helping physicians and other care providers realize their goals through financially competitive, exciting and flexible travel assignments in clinical settings across the country.
Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.
