March - April 2013 - Hillsborough County Medical Association

A Luxury
We Can’t Afford
Well, I’ve been waiting to hear whether
Florida will become part of the Obamacare
experiment. It appears that we are headed
in that direction. Gov. Scott announced yesterday
that Florida will expand Medicaid for the next
three years as long as Washington pays for 100%
of the costs.
Although I am opposed to the un-Affordable
Care Act, I can clearly see why this was the only
way the governor could go - all Floridians will be
paying taxes for it but not getting anything back if
we did not go along with Washington’s plans.
Doctors make up a large portion of the top 1%
of American taxpayers and we will all be paying
extra tax for the privilege of supporting our venture
into subsidized medical care. Hospitals and
other healthcare business were looking at lower
reimbursements for services under Obamacare but
now have huge potential with so many more people
covered under Medicaid. I can hear big sighs
of relief in the boardrooms of our healthcare related
enterprises now that another 900,000 Floridians
are covered by the Medicaid system. It remains to
be seen the effects this will have on our free clinics,
health departments, federally funded healthcare
clinics, and our own Hillsborough County
Health Plan. Primary care physicians are slated to
be paid at Medicare rates and so those folks stand
to benefit from this move as well.
The possibilities to engage in large scale primary
care practices have now been augmented with
huge infusions of cash due to the ACA. Groups
like Tampa General and the University of South
Florida Practice Plan, as well as some of the other
medical groups in town, appear to be poised for
substantial improvement in their bottom lines
thanks to the ACA.
The increased demands of about one million
newly insured patients have not been lost on those
business minded professionals. I suspect we will
be seeing big changes in the near future to service
these new “customers.” Who knows, I may even
want to get in on this myself! The dilemma, however,
is how long can this cash-cow last Will it
be sustainable for longer than the short run or will
we discover what all of us are afraid of - that we
cannot afford this luxury.
Only time will tell - I am dying to know how
all this will turn out. Too bad the crystal ball is so
cloudy!
The HCMA and FMA will be charged with
helping our state through all this. We have incredible
talent in these organizations but could always
use some help. If you feel that you may be able
to assist in this journey, please jump on the train
and help us to help you practice medicine! We are
looking for future leaders and members, and God
knows, we could always use the help.
This is my last “President’s Message,” as Dr.
Chris Pittman will be installed as the HCMA President
in May, and will take over this regular feature
of The Bulletin. It’s been my honor to serve as
your President. I plan to stick around for some
time to participate in projects and events, and hope
to see everyone soon.
Bless you for what you do.
President’s Message
William Davison, MD
DAVRAC4964@aol.com
HCMA BULLETIN, Vol 58, No. 6 – March/April 2013 7