The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has long advocated that all Americans should have health insurance and access to high quality, affordable health care, regardless of employment or health status. As the health system reform debate continues in Washington D.C., we are committed to working with our elected leaders on reforms that:
Support Patients. Legislation should require that health coverage should eliminate pre-existing condition restrictions and ensure portability of health insurance for patients.
Ensure Patient Choice. Any health care legislation should ensure that Americans have a choice of their health plan and physician, and a right to privately contract with that physician. Freedom to choose your physician and health plan is a fundamental and essential ingredient to any successful health reform initiative.
Ensure Any "Public Option" Is Properly Financed. The chronic under-funding of Medicare by Congress has led to serious access to care problems for our nation’s elderly and disabled citizens who receive Medicare coverage. These problems have not been addressed. To ensure the promise of health care reform is realized, we must be certain that any public option proposed by the federal government is properly financed so that serious access-to-care problems are addressed. If proper financing is not in place to cover the obligations of the plan, those costs will be shifted to private plans, causing them to fail.
Physician Driven Quality. Quality of care must be physician-directed since quality of care initiatives generated by payers are often “cost” driven, without significant clinical relevance. Quality of care standards for our patients must be established by physicians and never compromised by private insurance or public options in cost containment efforts.
Most importantly, North Carolina’s physicians are actively engaged in making sure that any reforms preserve and enhance the patient-doctor relationship.
Below is a listing of resources to assist patients in getting involved in the health care reform debate.
HealthReform.Gov [http://www.healthreform.gov] - Official site of the Obama administration, presented by the US Department of Health and Human Services
Patients' Action Network [http://www.patientsactionnetwork.com] - A site created by the American Medical Association to educate patients on ways to become involved in the health system reform process.
Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Gateway [http://healthreform.kff.org/] - Presented by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this website compares current health reform proposals and provides an educational background on the history of reform efforts, the costs involved in overhauling reform, and different approaches to covering the uninsured.
The North Carolina Medical Society is an advocacy organization supporting physicians and their patients. We are unable, however, to resolve specific patient inquiries such as bills or claims, medical necessity or similar complaints patients may have regarding insurance companies, health plans or physician offices. There are many excellent resources devoted to helping patients with these concerns. Below are some resources that may be of assistance:
Problems with Insurance Companies or Health Plans: Contact the North Carolina Managed Care Patient Assistance Program in the Office of the North Carolina Attorney General: 866-867-6272 or visit http://www.nchealthconsumer.org/.
Information about Insurance or Health Plan Laws or Policies and Similar Issues: Contact the Consumer Services Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance at 1-800-546-5664 or visit http://www.ncdoi.com/Consumer/consumer_home.asp.
Problems with Medicare, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance: Contact the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) at 1-800-443-9354 or visit http://www.ncdoi.com/Consumer/Shiip/Shiip.asp.
New Medicare Patients Looking for Physicians: Contact the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) at 1-800-443-9354. Also, contact local hospitals and ask to speak to their Physician Referral Service or other offices which refer patients to physicians.
Concerns Regarding Physicians or Physician's Offices: Contact the North Carolina Medical Board at 1-800-546-5664 or online at http://www.ncmedboard.org.
View information for both patients and physicians that provides helpful information on education of medical conditions and patient advocacy and safety.
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