Endocrine Insider
April 30, 2009
To have a voice in the health reform debate and represent the interests of endocrinologists, The Endocrine Society has developed a set of “guiding principles.” These principles, which were developed by the Society’s Advocacy and Public Outreach Core Committee and the Clinical Affairs Core Committee, outline the components that the Society recommends for inclusion in any federal health reform proposal. The principles address Medicare physician payment, the importance of preventive care, treatment of diabetes and obesity, and increasing the physician workforce, among other topics. The Endocrine Society will use these principles to frame its discussions with policymakers in Congress and the Administration.
The Society’s principles will be of particular importance in the months to come because President Obama and members of Congress have expressed their intent to see comprehensive health reform legislation passed in 2009. The Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) are holding a series of roundtable discussions to address specific components of health reform, including the delivery system, insurance coverage, and financing mechanisms. The first roundtable was held on April 21, 2009 and focused on the delivery system reform. To read the witness statements and view the full hearing, please visit the Senate Finance Committee website. Based on this hearing, the Senate Finance Committee released a document describing policy options for reforming the health care delivery system. The paper outlines proposals to address key physician policy issues such as Medicare physician payment, care coordination, the Physician Quality Improvement Program, and the physician workforce. The Society will share its guiding principles with the Finance Committee and will work with the Committee on shared goals for reform. The Senate Finance Committee and the HELP Committee are separately drafting their own health reform proposals, which they intend to introduce in June.
