Okay, the relevance of the lyrics: Has there ever been a time with more ambiguity with health care and our government? The Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) passed as a law and its constitutionality verified by a Supreme Court decision, yet some legislators attempted to shut down our democratic process in defiance – somewhat akin to secession – which racked up an estimated $24 billion tab.
A recent AP survey reported an approval rating of our Congress at 5%; a further decline from my Spring editorial on sequestration when there was a 14-18% approval rating of Congress. Yet, our Congress seems to be either oblivious or immune to this expressed disapproval rating. Could anyone run a business that only pleased or appeased 5% of their clients/customers? “Nothin’ seems to be quite clear.”
The Affordable Care Act is moving ahead and the insurance exchanges are finally open for business (though still with problems) after a decidedly rocky start despite approximately $400 million spent on developing the programming. To access the state exchange, Google insurance exchange PA or visit www.healthcare.gov. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has also set up a website to help Pennsylvanians navigate the process at www.pahealthoptions.com. Obviously, there will be additional problems and challenges that will need to be rectified during implementation. Regardless, the issue of health care in this country needs to be addressed. We will spend about $3 trillion on health care this year in the US; that’s 17.6% of our GDP, more than two-and-a-half times that of most developed countries. That’s about $8,233 per capita. Yet, the quality of the health care being provided in the US ranges between 32nd and 46th when compared globally, depending on the scale being used (32 [reported on NPR], 37 [WHO] and 46 [Bloomberg]).
Fortunately, the AOA has proactively positioned us into an alert posture. The AOA has unveiled AOAExcel to help ensure our information connectivity within the health care community. The AOA has also developed www.Rethinkeyecare.com and the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Resource Toolbox; additional resources that will help ensure our seat at the table. With these proper tools in hand, our profession can make a strong argument for optometry being an integral component of this health care reform. Optometry offers accessibility with over 36,000 optometrists serving over 6,500 communities (the only eye care provider in perhaps half of these) as compared to approximately 18,000 ophthalmologists. Optometry offers cost effectiveness; last year the inflation rate was 1.7% while health insurance costs had an increase of 9.9% and overall health care rose 3.2%. Eyewear and eye care increased 0.3%! Optometry offers quality care with the lowest malpractice rate as compared to all other health care providers.
The AOA has evidenced a strong presence and direction in Washington, D.C., by organizing over 600 optometrists and students to meet with their legislators in September and continuing legislative meetings into October with our AOA Board. Our national lobbying team, led by Jon Hymes, has been acknowledged as one of the best lobbying forces in DC, and has helped get our message across and ensure many of our recent victories. Yes, the best ensurance of our profession’s inclusion results from the diligence of our professional organizations (POA and AOA).
One of POA’s stellar successes over this past year is our gaining direct representation on the AOA Board with the election of Dr. Greg Caldwell. Dr. Caldwell has evidenced his tireless dedication to our profession at the state level and now extends his leadership on to the national level … “for the Love of Optometry.” It’s noteworthy that now the Northeast contingency has four AOA Trustees. In addition to Dr. Caldwell, we have Drs. Andrea Thau (NY), Chris Quinn (NJ) and Bob Layman (OH). That is more than one quarter of our 11-member AOA Board of Trustees.
At the state level, our executive director, in addition to his normal administrative duties, is serving on the Board of the PA eHealth Initiative (PAeHI), a public/private advocacy organization promoting electronic health records and health information exchanges – a critical seat in our informational networking. Our president-elect, Dr. Marianne Boltz, will be serving as our state’s ambassador and hostess for our national meeting POA and AOA at work for you: 2013 and beyond(Optometry’s Meeting) to be held in Philadelphia this upcoming spring. Dr. Boltz is ideally positioned in launching a campaign for pediatric eye care, which is one of the Essential Benefits granted under the ACA. While forging ahead for our eventful upcoming year, our Immediate Past President Dr. Donna Buraczewski has been overseeing internal housekeeping by coordinating our three-year strategic planning sessions and staffing transitions.
Your remaining Board trustees, Drs. Rich Christoph, Mark Margolies, Steve Eiss, Becca Wincek-Bateson and Lori Gray, have demonstrated a strong presence with their diligent engagement with third party payer negotiations and inclusion issues; diabetic initiatives, including the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance (PDEHA); and legislative activities. Dr. Dave Evans is the incoming new member to our Board and offers additional clinical experience and legislative seasoning. Of course, this is just the frontline and administrative branch for our army of volunteers and our POA staff who serve as the unheralded force behind all the POA accomplishments.
I have shared some of the resources at hand that will help ensure our profession’s forward momentum. Certainly, you should make frequent stops to both the AOA and POA websites and read the AOA News, AOA First Look and the Keystoner, POA Today and the POAeyes Post to keep abreast of the rapid changes that are occurring. Better yet, if you are not directly involved at this point, become involved and volunteer for the advancement of your profession…we can all use additional hands with this workload.
Finally, on a personal note, I view this year as the pinnacle of my 30+ years of POA volunteerism. I am not a political animal, which I’m sure has been evidenced during this year’s tenure, but when you observe the hard work of the “20% who do 80% of the work,” there comes a time “to step up to the plate.” I sincerely admire the colleagues I have worked with; you can be proud of your team, they serve you well. I have appreciated their assistance, patience and support as we have forged ahead during this “roller coaster” year.
Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/
