U.S. Health Bill Might Aid Rural Md., Hoyer Says

Shortage of Doctors Reported in Calvert

The health-care legislation being debated in Congress won't solve the problem of the lack of qualified medical professionals in Southern Maryland, but it "tips the hat" to the issue.

That is what House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) told doctors and other medical professionals at Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick last week during a discussion on the bill.

"We do try to provide for a system of reimbursement that will facilitate rural areas' keeping their medical personnel," he said.

The bill, which aims to provide affordable health coverage to the nation's more than 47 million uninsured people, would provide funding for pilot programs that would reimburse doctors based on outcomes instead of procedures.

Scott Intner, director of business development at Calvert Memorial, said that doctors in the county receive up to 50 percent less in reimbursement funding than those in metropolitan areas and other states.

Many medical professionals have large debts after college and go into specialized fields in urban areas, where they will make more money, several professionals told Hoyer.

"Losing physicians and nurses and having a higher population [in Southern Maryland], it is a concern," said Mohammad Shahvari, an anesthesiologist.

Calvert needs 38 more physicians in 16 specialties over the next three years to meet the growing demands of the community, according to the county's most recent community health assessment. In the next year, 16 additional primary care doctors will be needed, the report says.

A report from this year's General Assembly says that there are 34 percent fewer primary care providers in Southern Maryland and other rural areas of the state than compared with the rest of Maryland.

Hoyer said the federal legislation should provide better compensation for doctors and "a more rational way of doing it."

There are also plenty of changes in the bill for the average person, he said.

Hoyer said that the current health-care system "is not sustainable for a long period of time." Most of an average family's premium pays for the uninsured, he said, so "the cost of having [the uninsured] in the system is less than not having them in the system."

The bill, which is expected to cost about $1 trillion over 10 years, is being debated in the Senate Finance Committee. Hoyer said that it has provisions to bar insurance companies from excluding people because of preexisting conditions and that it would offer more choices in coverage and care.

Margaret Fowler, director of community wellness at Calvert Memorial, asked the congressman whether the bill has incentives for patients to go to wellness centers and "take control and be active in your health care."

Hoyer said that co-payments for annual check-ups and preventive care would no longer exist and that deterrents would be applied to certain patients based on behaviors such as smoking.

"Everyone is at risk of a medical cost," Hoyer said. "If you don't have insurance, we're all going to pay the bill."