Single-payer advocate makes pitch to doctor executives

By Andis Robeznieks
Modern Healthcare, Vital Signs blog, April 28, 2014

CHICAGO — The American College of Physician Executives annual meeting drew a record 830 attendees, including one doctor whose presentation on the merits of a national single-payer system may have been something of a surprise.

Dr. Ed Weisbart described himself as a long-time ACPE member who is also a member of Physicians for a National Health Program and now serves as chairman of the single-payer advocacy group’s Missouri chapter.

Weisbart, a family physician, had a table full of PNHP literature and a poster indicating that salaries for Canadian physicians are comparable or better than those earned by U.S. doctors. The poster also said that Canadian physicians pay lower malpractice insurance premiums.

His intent, Weisbart said, was to build bridges between the two organizations, and he left with “several pages” of new names to add to the PNHP mailing list. “I think it was time well-spent.”

One visitor to his table questioned whether the government could be trusted to run the nation’s healthcare system. Weisbart replied that he agrees. PNHP’s goal, he said, is to have a publicly funded, privately operated system.

“I think many people wouldn’t want to see a government-delivered healthcare system with physicians employed by the federal government,” he said.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140428/BLOG/304289995