Patients, Doctors, and Tennessee Leaders to Discuss Real Solutions to Medical Cost Crisis

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Saturday, August 6, at 1pm Tennesseans will gather along with physicians, policy experts, and political leaders at the Doctors Town Hall in Nashville to study proven solutions that lower medical costs, improve quality, and empower patients.

The keynote speaker will be Congressman Marsha Blackburn, who is sponsoring the Health Care Choice Act. This Act would give consumers greater access to insurance plans that fit their needs instead of a limited choice of one-size-fits-all plans.

The town hall is being co-organized by a Murfreesboro businessman, Ralph Weber, whose company, MediBid, matches self-pay and uninsured patients with doctors and other medical practitioners.  "We aren't just here to complain about the new health care legislation, but the fact is that the law signed by the President last year rehashes the same failed top-down schemes that created our problems in the first place.  It's only going to make things worse," explains Mr. Weber.  

He continues, "Every day we are seeing new unintended, yet predictable, consequences of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Premiums are rising, employers are dropping coverage or simply not hiring.  At this town hall we are going to present answers that will work, will give patients control over their medical care and medical spending, and will reenergize, not drag down the economy as ObamaCare does."

Also presenting is Jane Orient, MD, Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons. In contrast to the AMA, AAPS promotes a return to true free-market principles in our medical system in order to increase access to care, and preserve the patient-physician relationship.  

Many physician members of AAPS are finding innovative, market-based practice models that allow them to work directly for their patients and break away from the bureaucratic quagmire of big-insurance and government payment.

"We are finding that 'third-party-free' doctors welcome uninsured, Medicare, and Medicaid patients that are frequently turned away by other practices.  In addition, they are able to offer patients a better service at a lower price," states Dr. Orient.

AAPS acknowledges that there are serious problems in financing medical care, but states these do not result from "market failure." On the contrary, "a true free market in medicine has not existed for more than 50 years," states Dr. Orient. During this time period, control over health care decisions has shifted from patients and doctors to politicians and insurance bureaucrats accustomed to receiving special favors from government that protect them from the rigors of competition.  "They don't like solutions that cut their share of health care dollars, even if the solutions benefit patients," explains Dr. Orient.

Also presenting at the Town Hall are Tennessee legislators Representative Judd Matheny and Senator Mae Beavers, patient privacy expert Twila Brase, Health Care Sharing Ministries CEO James Lansberry, health care attorney Andrew Schlafly, orthopedic surgeon and AAPS President Lee Hieb, MD, and tax reform activist Ben Cunningham.

The event is open to the public (with free ticket) and will be held on the campus of Lipscomb University.  More information & a limited number of free tickets can be found at http://www.DoctorsTownHall.com.

SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)