Speaking Out Against the Abortion Mandate Embedded in the ACA

Dear Colleagues, As the tornado of the Affordable Care Act touches down on our practices, there has been very little attention given to the effect of that act on physicians, or physician opinion of the impact on health care. One physician staffing group undertook a survey of physician opinions of the ACA. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H9DUHknkrc-S65FW9lOAU-q70ylNPpcNp10vxTGrdYk/pub] The results may surprise you. · 44% of physicians are not participating in the ACA Health Exchange and do not plan to do so (n=3,072) · 80% of physicians think that those currently insured will pay more than they currently do for health care under the ACA. · 60% of physicians think that the quality of patient care will be negatively impacted. · 51% of physicians think that access to health care will be negatively impacted. · 57% of physicians think that physician treatment decision-making ability will be negatively impacted. · 69% think that the ACA will have a personal negative impact on their practice as physicians. · 66% expect to spend more time on non-clinical, non-patient administrative activities. · As a result of implementing the ACA, 30% of physicians plan to leave the practice of medicine as soon as it is feasible to do so, and an additional 19% plan to truncate the length of time that they had originally planned to practice medicine. AAPLOG chiefly opposes the abortion mandate embedded in the ACA, and the lack of transparency about abortion coverage, which guts the possibility of conscientious objection. We still have time to make our voice known on this particularly offensive aspect of the ACA. Recall that Representative Chris Smith introduced a bill in October called the “Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” [http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=353542] If you have not yet contacted your representative to make sure that they vote for this act, then now is the time to do so. It is simple to contact your representative. Go to: http://aaplog.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e2dfb970530bbe109c61b442&id=928e2a07e2&e=03e9939e21 and follow prompts. Type in your zip code. Continue Type in your street address if asked. Continue To email, check box next to Rep’s name, and click on “compose message” box at bottom. You can paste in this message: “Please support H.R. 940, the Health Care Conscience Rights Act and please become a sponsor of it.” Follow the prompts (name, contact info) to complete sending the message. Done. Now, if you want to phone, click on Rep’s name, and the phone number will come up ( Your Rep’s Capitol phone and district phone) (Or you can use the general Capitol Switchboard at 202 224 3121) But if the switchboard is jammed up, do this by email. Please contact your representative and urge them to vote for H.R. 3279, the “Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” [see also http://aaplog.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=9e2dfb970530bbe109c61b442&id=133489dab4&e=03e9939e21] And while you are there, be sure and make a comment to your senator about the horrendous senate bill that was just introduced: S 1696 (grossly misnamed the “ Womens Health Protection Act”) [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZCdOk8tErspOP73hUkCbLZNtLEoGT7YODmnDDdZ6dIA/pub]. This act does not protect women’s health, but rather would forbid regulation of abortion clinics and has the potential to overturn any currently existing state health and safety regulations pertaining to abortion, including the very regulations that allowed Kermit Gosnell to be prosecuted. Please contact your Senator and urge them to vote NO on S1696 Thanks for standing with us. For Life, Donna P.S. Great news: The Matthew Bulfin Educational Conference has now been approved for 8 CME credits: ” This Live activity, Annual Matthew Bulfin Educational Conference, with a beginning date of 02/22/2014, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 8.00 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.” Check out the conference website and sign up here: [http://conference.aaplog.org/] P.S.S. Don’t forget our matching program which matches gifts to AAPLOG until Dec 31. Please consider us in your year-end giving.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]