Senator Judd Gregg “Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Access to Care Act”- a reflection of the politics of our time

Again Senator Gregg’s only solution for access to health care for women and children is limiting the rights of women and children. Years ago, I went to Washington DC when the senator’s reform of the health care liability system was to take pain and suffering awards (greater than 250,000) away from women and children. During that hearing the adjective “frivolous” always accompanied lawsuit and there was many references to these victims hitting the jackpot. As I scanned the crowd, there were many parents accompanied by severely injured children and some just clutching pictures of the once beautiful children that were no longer with them. I knew how I felt about the loss of my husband, the grief of knowing he would miss out on so many things, a life snatched away from him. I could not imagine what these victims were feeling but I was outraged at the insensitivity of some of the Senators speaking at the hearing.

My Senators from New Hampshire (Gregg, Sununu) did not have the “time” to meet with me but gave me some time with their twenty-something aids. I want to make it clear as these aids pointed out to me that this legislature would not affect some one like me because my husband had “economic” worth. This notion has stayed with me. At one time I was a stay at home mom working full time taking care of my home and family. Can you imagine the devastation placed upon any family that has a child or mother with severe injuries? So we should limit those in our society that have the least worth on paper? I do not want to focus in on the “malpractice” notion but rather why mothers in rural areas of New Hampshire do not have access to an ob-gyn doctor and what issues and circumstances other than malpractice reform could possibly help.

Rural areas can not support large groups of doctors-there are not enough patients. Current health care trends make it difficult for doctors finishing up a residency to start up on their own. To set up a practice alone is a commitment to your patients twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Liability is one factor but let me suggest some other factors; debt from medical school, start up costs for the business (computers, furniture etc.),numbers of employees needed to navigate the ever cumbersome insurance industry, health insurance costs for the doctor and employees, over head rent and utilities. During the seventies there were public health scholarships available to deserving medical students, four years of medical school expenses-four years of service in an under served area. Not only were medical school costs absorbed but the new doctor was set up in a practice. Is the Senator looking into any bill that could possibly assist a rural hospital in employing young ob-gyn doctors? In the southern tier of New Hampshire there seems to be no problem attracting young doctors into large groups where coverage and expenses are shared.

The state of New Hampshire has no state medical school. Bright NH students face extreme obstacles. Most states have a medical school where more than 90% admitted are residents of that state. No longer can students raised in New Hampshire go and establish residency in another state easily. Maine has a program with Vermont. What about New Hampshire? If you are from New Hampshire and are lucky to be admitted to a private medical school the debt incurred is immense. Kids born and raised in the North Country would be more likely to return to home and family if there were programs out there for them.

The practice of obstetrics and gynecology is unique. The normal transgression of the doctor patient relationship starts with the delivery of babies of younger patients when a doctor is starting out and as their patient ages there would be a natural progression to doing more gynecological procedures. I can’t help but wonder if that is partly the reason for established doctors to limit their practices to gynecological procedures.

The rural North Country is vulnerable to many obstacles that do not plague the southern tier. With its beauty comes isolation, loss of jobs and many economic challenges. All these factors play into the loss of doctors. It is not just a simple fix. Limit pain and suffering rewards and all is well. Even Senator Gregg admits there have been few successful law suits in New Hampshire. We have to be careful to have evidence based numbers and facts before we legislate against the rights of patients. How would this legislature help the citizens of New Hampshire? One thing I do know it is wrong of Senator Gregg to perpetuate this evil trial lawyer politicizing of the problem of accessible quality health care for all citizens. Patients must understand obstacles that our health care system is experiencing and talk honestly about the issues. Let’s not fall into the trap like our Senators from New Hampshire and think legislate against those evil trial lawyers and affordable quality health care will be available to all. The name of this bill is offensive and misleading. “Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Access to Care Act” targets those same mothers and children. Let us not forget the “Patients Bill of Rights Act” which was really about doctors and HMO’s.