BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Affordable Health Care for America Act is likely to jeopardize the relationship between patient and doctor, limit the quality of care that's delivered to the public, and could lead to the end of private physician practices, warned three specialists participating in a political event Monday.
"The decision last week by the Supreme Court is going to directly affect our ability to practice medicine in Youngstown," observed Dr. Mark Memo, urologist and partner at N.E.O. Urology Inc. "We're trying to maintain our autonomy and trying to stay viable. The decision by the Supreme Court works against us."
Memo, his father, Dr. Richard Memo, and Dr. Daniel Ricchiuti, partners at N.E.O. Urology, met with Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat. Mandel toured the Boardman offices and met with the physicians for a short discussion about the law and its implications.
In an era that has already witnessed a large number of physicians leaving private practices for staff positions at hospitals, Memo said that it's becoming more difficult to survive as a private practice, and the new health care law doesn't help.
The law, which survived a challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court last week in a 5-4 decision, mandates that Americans who do not have health insurance and can afford to purchase it, must do so by 2014. While the consensus is the law might lower the cost for coverage, Memo said it would end up penalizing those who pay out of pocket, many of whom are patients at N.E.O. "We've tried to minimize our costs here, so when they come to see a specialist they have access and it's not expensive," he said. "This is basically going to put a tax on them."
Memo said he's concerned that the new law is the first step toward socialized medicine, and that eventually the United States will adopt similar systems used in Europe. "Access to care is everything, and if you limit access to care, you destroy the health care system," he said. "We're going to go to a one-payer system, and that one-payer system will mandate how we as doctors get to interact with our patients, and that is not the direction of a superior health care system."
Moreover, Memo noted, the number of medical specialists in the area is dwindling. "I've been in practice in this area for five years. There were 17 urologists that were in practice. We're now down to 12."
On average, it takes two or three months for the office to fulfill an appointment. "Also, on the front end, there are fewer people who want to go into medicine. If there are fewer doctors, there's less access to care."
Mandel stopped in the Mahoning Valley during a campaign swing through the state. He is running to unseat Democrat Sherrod Brown.
"The government takeover of health care is going to kill small businesses, Mandel said, referring to the mandate provision. "I think we need to be doing everything we can to create better economic environment for businesses."
Mandel emphasized he differs with those Republicans who are calling for a full repeal of the law. "I think we should replace it with something better," he said. Some parts of the law make sense, such as covering individuals with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parent's insurance plan until the age of 26, he explained.
"The Republican Party is often time wrong when they talk about repealing it," Mandel said. "It's not about repealing it, it's about replacing it with something better. We have to make sure a patient's physician is making decisions regarding their health care, not some bureaucrat in Washington."
Richard Memo added he's concerned about the role of the government's preventative health task force, and the impact it would have on rationing and health policy. "The other problem is government is encroaching upon businesses," especially insurance companies. "Unfortunately, the government is crowding this business portion out to the point where someday we will have socialized medicine."
The younger Memo says that over time, the two most influential players in health care will be the hospitals and the U.S. government. "You're either at the table or you're on the menu," he said, "and most doctors right now are on the menu."
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.