AAPI hosts successful 2011 Legislative Conference on Capitol Hill

Dr. Ajeet R. Singhvi with AMA President Dr. Cecil Wilson (center), MSRF President Dr. Mamta Singhvi (left) and AAPI YPS President Dr. Priya Kundra (right).

On June 1, AAPI held its annual legislative conference and reception on Capitol Hill. The event was a great success, with members of Congress, think tank representatives and the American Medical Association (AMA) president joining the AAPI team for the day's events.

The conference started off with an address by U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, MD (R-TN), an obstetrician and gynecologist who had delivered nearly 5,000 babies over a 31-year medical career prior to his election to Congress in 2008. He discussed the issue of medical malpractice insurance reform and his concerns with the health care reform law that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama last year.

Those concerns were echoed by U.S. Congressman Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), who noted the paramount importance of maintaining the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Cassidy's wife is also a physician and he has traveled to India with his family. Both Congressman Roe and Cassidy were part of AAPI's 2009 legislative conference.

In her address, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) provided the AAPI delegation with an immigration update. She said she would introduce legislation to make the J-1 visa permanent, to help increase access to health care in rural and medically underserved areas. Others who addressed the conference included U.S. Congressman Joe Heck (R-NV), a physician experienced in emergency medicine; Dr. John O'Shea, Senior Health Policy Adviser to the Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), ranking member of the Health Subcommittee on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

In his remarks, outgoing AAPI president, Dr. Ajeet R. Singhvi, expressed concern at the acute shortage of physicians that the US would face in the near future. He said, "In the next 15 years we need over 100,000 more physicians. We need to address this problem and do it now. The main issues of concern to AAPI are: increase in Residency Slots; J1 Visa waiver; and the economic well-being of young physicians."

In the next 15 years we need over 100,000 more physicians. We need to address this problem and do it now. The main issues of concern to AAPI are: increase in Residency Slots; J1 Visa waiver; and the economic well-being of young physicians.

"These issues are not being advocated for the physicians' cause but for the Nation's cause. A soldier fighting in Afghanistan, a young man working in the factory or an office worker should not be worried that his parents or kids are not under the care of a qualified doctor. These are not party issues but are National issues and we hope we will get bipartisan support," he added.

The morning session of the conference ended with a panel of experts discussing the health care reform bill, which included: Neil Chatterjee, Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Dr. Robert Moffitt, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Innovation, The Heritage Foundation; Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, President and Co-Founder, Doctors for America; Cindy Brown, Vice President, Government Affairs, American Medical Association; Mike Stinson, Director of Government Relations, Physicians Insurers Association of America (PIAA); and Neera Tanden, Chief Operating Officer, Center for American Progress. The panelists discussed various aspects of the legislation, which included positive factors that many AAPI members supported such as providing coverage for young adults up to the age of 26 and preventing insurance companies from denying claims based on pre-existing conditions. Other areas of concern remain the lack of medical malpractice insurance reform within the bill, the failure to address the future physician shortage by creating residency positions and the failure to address the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR). These remain areas of ongoing concern to AAPI members and the nation's physicians.

During lunch, one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, U.S. Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY), gave an update on various health care issues and U.S.-India relations.

Robert Popovian, a senior executive from Pfizer's New York City office, provided the delegates with a state update before the keynote address from Dr. Cecil Wilson, current president of the AMA. The day ended with a successful evening reception attended by a dozen bipartisan members of Congress, followed by a dinner at the Embassy of India hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Ambassador Arun K. Singh. For many of the attendees it was their first legislative conference and they expressed appreciation at the insights received from all of the conference speakers. AAPI next plans to expand on this success by having its members actually go to congressional offices to directly engage the staffers and members of Congress.

These issues are not being advocated for the physicians' cause but for the Nation's cause. A soldier fighting in Afghanistan, a young man working in the factory or an office worker should not be worried that his parents or kids are not under the care of a qualified doctor. These are not party issues but are National issues and we hope we will get bipartisan support."

[ BY DINO TEPPARA ]