Weekend warriors can be doctors too
By U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson
Washington,
Jun 15, 2007 -
Cardiologist
Dr. Brad Clair devotes his limited free time to serving his country as a doctor
in the reserves.
Reservists
and their families are the unsung heroes in the Global War Against Terrorism;
they shoulder many burdens without the strong backbone of the consistent
military structure provided to full-time soldiers, marines, sailors, air men,
and coasties. That’s why when reservists encounter bungled bureaucracy and
red-tape, I want to help them.
Clair’s
currently caring for our men and women in uniform in the Anbar Province in Iraq. On his third deployment since
2004, the 50-year old Army Reserve Major risked losing his clientele and his
business because of an unintended rule governing how long a doctor can leave
Medicare while keeping patients and collecting
payments.
An
anti-fraud law punished doctors who left the system for 60 days and hired
surrogate doctors in their place to handle the caseload while gone. To protect
patients from out-of-practice doctors, doctors would lose their ability to
collect reimbursements from Medicare after that 60-day window. While this
pro-patient law sounds good in theory – it created severe unintentional
consequences by penalizing those serving as doctors in the reserves who must
leave the area to deploy.
Clair
contacted his hometown Congressman, Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), fretting the toll
a third tour on the front lines would take on his solo practice and his many
Medicare-covered elderly clients. Dr. Clair felt his wife and four children
could endure the third deployment, but his business would suffer unless the
60-day Medicare rule got waived for his several-month-long deployment.
I
partnered with Congressman Mike Thompson to help fix this dilemma for our
weekend warriors who happen to be doctors.
Dr. Brad
Clair’s story really touched a nerve for me. Why would Congress intentionally
punish a civilian warrior when he or she leaves to serve in harm’s way?
Congress should encourage, not discourage, volunteering in the Reserves and
National Guard!
This
special exception for our volunteer doctors in the armed forces will do wonders
to help communities who rely on hometown doctors to provide Medicare services –
and serve their nation in times of war.
In this
case, Clair’s replacement doctor did not arrive for more than 10 days until
after Clair’s departure for the Anbar Provice in Iraq.
Fortunately, he found doctors to care for his Medicare patients during his first
two tours of duty. During the first two deployments Clair incurred financial
losses because of unreimbursed Medicare costs. I fear what a third prolonged
absence would mean for his patients and his practice.
Our
measure to help Dr. Clair and the estimated 3,000 volunteer warrior-doctors
generated such swift support that it passed in the U.S. House of Representatives
by a vote of 422 – to 0 – with one Member of Congress voting present. Everyone
agreed that volunteer doctors in the armed forces should not be punished for
serving their country in the National Guard or Reserves.
Thank
heavens for a bipartisan, happy ending and I look forward to hearing about Dr.
Clair’s safe return home from war…but the bill still has to pass the U.S.
Senate.
Would you
please call Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) at
202-224-3121 and urge them to move H.R. 2429 forward in the United States
Senate? The weekend warriors tending to our troops on the front lines and I
thank you.