As a practicing physician and active advocate, Dr. Mazer has a unique perspective on the potential effects federal healthcare policies may have here in California. When asked by The San Diego Union-Tribune what he thought the priorities should be in any reform effort, Dr. Mazer shared his views with the newspaper:
“There are some huge opportunities there. This time, instead of working in the political arena with the goal of getting something done quickly, I hope they can work to salvage what worked in the ACA, come up with a workable plan that lowers costs, maintains people’s rights to access care, and provides patients with more choice than they have now.”
Dr. Mazer is a member of CAP’s state and federal PACs and, along with 16 of his fellow CAP physician committee members, helps educate policymakers on the issues that affect the delivery and access to care. Dr. Mazer addressed these issues in his interview regarding the nomination of Congressman Tom Price, MD, to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noting concerns expressed about the nomination by other physicians:
“I’ve known Tom for about 25 years, and I think he is someone who understands the system. We have to have a conversation about what works and what should we be doing to reform healthcare reform. Having a physician like Tom Price, who has been involved with the larger debate for years, sitting at the head of the HHS, can hopefully start educating the administration on how these things interplay, how medicine actually gets practiced.”
While the incoming administration has still left the intended potential changes to the ACA largely unknown, the consensus among a number of different physician organizations is that the patient should remain the central focus of all reform efforts. As he expressed to CAP, Dr. Mazer is hopeful that, with the input of practicing physicians from all walks of medicine, healthcare reform this time around can move beyond the politics and focus on patients and healthcare providers, and concludes that "we cannot afford not to get it right."
Meanwhile, renewed attention in Washington is being paid to including California MICRA-like tort reform in any ACA replacement efforts.
The full article featuring Dr. Mazer’s interview can be found here.