WASHINGTON, DC, May 8 -- The Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] reports that the Physician Pro Bono Care Act, introduced earlier this year by Rep. Dan Webster (R-FL) and Colin Peterson (D-MN), now has 25 co-sponsors.
Bob Carlstrom, president of AMAC Action, says “The Physician Pro Bono Care Act is particularly important at a time when the government’s coffers are being depleted by the COVID-19 pandemic and so every billion dollars’ worth of savings counts.”
According to Carlstrom, individuals who cannot afford to see a physician tend to visit local ERs instead because the visits are covered by Medicaid and CHIP. “By offering physicians the opportunity to take a charitable tax deduction for seeing Medicaid eligible patients in their offices and clinics, instead of having to travel to a separate medical charity facilities, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) could see billions of dollars in savings. The cost of the tax deduction pales in comparison to the level of Medicaid and CHIP reimbursements for the same services, particularly the costs for chronic care in ER visits – a 95% savings.”
Just as important, Carlstrom notes, is that the bill would give needy patients the ability to choose their own doctors and to establish long-term patient-physician relationships. In addition, as co-sponsor Congressman Webster put it: “This bill removes government bureaucracy and red-tape that obstructs the patient-doctor relationship, and it expands access to doctors for some of the more vulnerable in our society.”
Medicaid spending has increased dramatically in recent years and it has put a strain on state and federal resources. Meanwhile, the CORVID-19 outbreak is bound to increase ER visits long term, greatly adding to the burden.
AMAC’s Carlstrom argues that the Physician Pro Bono Care Act “provides a genuine opportunity to lower state and federal governments Medicaid spending, with doctors helping to reduce the number of Medicaid and CHIP payouts by using the charitable tax deduction alternative. This simple tax deduction is self-executing in the normal tax filing processes of the physicians further decreasing their administrative costs, which are much higher in the Medicaid reimbursement processes. The bill does not prevent physicians or qualifying individuals from using Medicaid or CHIP, it simply adds an additional, more attractive option for low-income patients to receive localized healthcare services.”
The 2 million member Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] www.amac. us is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. AMAC Action is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization representing the membership in our nation’s capital and in local Congressional Districts throughout the country. And the AMAC Foundation (www.AmacFoundation.org) is the Association’s non-profit organization, dedicated to supporting and educating America’s Seniors. Together, we act and speak on the Association members’ behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at www.amac.us/join-amac.