Doctors and medical students share their concerns on the future of medicine in America
Houston, TX – Congressmen John Culberson (TX-07) and Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) joined Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, Dean of the UTHealth Medical School at a town hall meeting with physicians, nurses, and medical students to discuss the impact the Affordable Care Act has had on the medical profession as well as the upcoming Supreme Court review of the law.
Both Rep. Culberson and Dr. Burgess are committed to repealing the current health care law and replacing it with common-sense reforms that dramatically limit the control of the federal government in our health care system. They remain optimistic that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that the current law has overstepped its constitutional authority. In the meantime, it is imperative that Congress minimize the damage across the health care industry by getting a first-hand account from medical professionals.
“This meeting confirmed what we already knew,” said Rep. Culberson. “If the current law is fully implemented, we are facing drastic cuts on every level of medicine. We are going to see massive cuts to patient care and a rapid conversion where private insurers will go out of the health care business leaving patients with the federal government as their only option. I appreciate Dr. Colasurdo and the many doctors that shared their concerns and opinions with us. It is imperative that we get the federal government out-of-the-way and ensure that doctors and patients, not bureaucrats, are in charge of health care.”
“The last Congress would have better served America by seeking a second opinion from these doctors and med students instead of forcing through the current health care law,” said Dr. Burgess. “As a physician, I also agree with their expressed concerns for more workable improvements than what we now face under this new law.”
Rep. Culberson has supported every repeal vote in the House of the Affordable Care Act. Culberson has cosponsored a package of ten bills put together by Energy and Commerce Republicans designed to reform the FDA and speed up the review process that slows access to vital devices. He is a strong supporter of medical research, and sits on the House Appropriations Committee which funds the National Institutes of Health.
Rep. Burgess practiced medicine for nearly three decades before being elected to Congress in 2002. In 2009, founded the Congressional Health Care Caucus to educate members and staff on health care and health care reform. He is a member of Energy & Commerce Committee which is responsible for health care as well as the safety of food and drugs.
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