Donald Trump and maga Republicans are at war with working class people! Protect affordable quality health care!

This physician opinion echoes the very same confersation with my primary care provider, during my annual visit.  He shared with me how one of his patients is a young woman who experienced a serious hand injury. Her rehabilitation involved occupational therapy.  Rather than be relieved about the high probability for her complete healing, her mother started to cry because she could not pay for the care.  😟😢

How the government shutdown affects patients

Echo opinion published in the Baltimore Sun by a physician: As a new resident physician, I have spent thousands of hours learning to provide the best patient care possible. As a primary care physician at a federally qualified health center, I have the privilege of taking care of many uninsured and vulnerable populations. However, with the ongoing government shutdown, there is much uncertainty surrounding my ability to provide the best care possible for my patients. Although a textbook can teach me how to treat various diseases, it unfortunately cannot make our health care more affordable for patients. This puts health care providers in difficult positions where we are unable to provide necessary medical treatment for our patients. With rising health care costs, we are in a health care affordability crisis.

For example, I saw an uninsured patient who works in the hospitality industry and requires surgery but is unsure if he will be able to afford marketplace insurance with the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits this fall. The cost of this surgery would bankrupt him without insurance. If he is unable to afford the surgery, he also won’t be able to continue to work at a job he loves. Unfortunately, these dilemmas are far too common among my patients. Cuts to health coverage aren’t just numbers. They impact patients who are unable to receive surgery. They impact our neighbors who cannot afford lifesaving medical treatments. They impact hardworking Americans who are supporting their families. Similarly, many patients who receive health insurance through the Marketplace and benefited from tax credits may receive a letter soon regarding their increase in premiums. This is causing anxiety among patients as they are unsure if they will be able to afford health insurance for themselves, their families and even their employees in small businesses. As a physician, how can I appropriately respond to their concerns when these decisions are made outside of the exam room❓

When facing these situations, medical providers feel the burden of spending many extra hours outside of work hours to find financial support for these patients. Most of us entered this profession because we wanted to help our patients lead healthy lives. However, it can be easy to start feeling burned out with so many influencing factors that are out of our control, leading to our inability to improve our patients’ health.

Similarly, the government shutdown has led to the expiration of telehealth Medicare flexibilities. Many patients, especially our elderly and disabled populations, benefited from receiving care utilizing telehealth. This was crucial for these patients who had difficulty traveling to clinics for medical appointments and ensured that health care providers were still able to engage with this population. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, much of our society shifted to online services. Therefore, health care should keep up with the 21st century and ensure our patients can also receive health care online. However, after October 1, many Medicare patients have been receiving communications regarding whether their telehealth coverage will continue. Some organizations have been able to cover the costs and are hopeful that Congress will create a bipartisan solution. However, other organizations are unable to cover the costs. This is devastating for patients who were receiving cancer care, mental health treatment and other medical care who are now unable to access the health care they had been receiving. Reduced access to health care will lead to worse health outcomes.