Today in Washington, D.C. - Dec. 8, 2014:
The House convened at Noon today. They will consider several naming and designations of Government building and highways. The House may consider H.R. 5781 — "To provide short-term water supplies to drought-stricken California."

The Senate will reconvene at at 2 PM today. At 5:30, PM, the Senate will vote on confirmation of the controversial nomination of Jeffery Baran to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Following that vote, the Senate will vote on confirmation of the nomination of Lauren McFerran to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board and on confirmation of the nomination of Ellen Williams to be a director of ARPA in the Department of Energy.

Tomorrow morning, the Senate will vote on two nominees to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The AP reports today on the shortage of primary care physicians that Obamacare is exacerbating and the difficulties some people are having finding a doctor. The AP writes, “A survey this year by The Physicians Foundation found that 81 percent of doctors describe themselves as either over-extended or at full capacity, and 44 percent said they planned to cut back on the number of patients they see, retire, work part-time or close their practice to new patients

“At the same time, insurance companies have routinely limited the number of doctors and providers on their plans as a way to cut costs. The result has further restricted some patients' ability to get appointments quickly.

“One purpose of the new health law was connecting patients, many of whom never had insurance before, with primary care doctors to prevent them from landing in the emergency room when they are sicker and their care is more expensive. Yet nearly 1 in 5 Americans lives in a region designated as having a shortage of primary care physicians, and the number of doctors entering the field isn't expected to keep pace with demand.

“The Association of American Medical Colleges projects the shortage will grow to about 66,000 in little more than a decade as fewer residency slots are available and as more medical students choose higher-paying specialty areas.”

And, the AP, points out, that even when patients can get in to see doctors, “they have to drive farther, wait longer or see a nurse practitioner or physician assistant rather than a doctor.”  [ARRA News Editor's note: This is exactly what happened to veterans via the VA present system.]

The story also details the experience of Olivia Papa, a woman in Florida, who’s had difficulty finding a primary care doctor. “When Olivia Papa signed up for a new health plan last year, her insurance company assigned her to a primary care doctor. The relatively healthy 61-year-old didn't try to see the doctor until last month, when she and her husband both needed authorization to see separate specialists. She called the doctor's office several times without luck. ‘They told me that they were not on the plan, they were never on the plan and they'd been trying to get their name off the plan all year,’ said Papa, who recently bought a plan from a different insurance company. It was no better with the next doctor she was assigned. The Naples, Florida, resident said she left a message to make an appointment, ‘and they never called back.’”

And according to the report, “Insurance agent Anthony Halby heard similar complaints from his clients in Grass Valley, California, a Sierra foothill community about an hour east of Sacramento. He said half a dozen consumers wanted him to switch their health plans as soon as the second round of open enrollment started earlier this month. They told him the plan they chose last year made it extremely difficult to find primary care doctors.

“Only two insurance companies in the Gold Rush-era town offer coverage through the state exchange, and just four or five primary care doctors out of about 135 signed up with one insurer. The other insurer has more doctors, but most are considered out of network. That means patients who use them will pay 60 percent of the bill, he said.

“‘Coverage does not equal access,’ said Halby, who instead recommends his clients choose a plan outside the exchange that has a much broader provider network but also will not come with the government premium subsidies given to most of those who buy insurance through the exchange. ‘I tell people this up front: The premiums are going to be higher because there's no subsidy. However, I'm going to guarantee you can keep your doctor.’”

In an interview with Roll Call on Friday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated his belief that Obamacare “is the single worst piece of legislation passed in the last half century,” saying “we will go at that law . . . in every way that we can.”

He said further, “[W]e certainly will have a vote on proceeding to a bill to repeal Obamacare… it was a very large issue in the campaign. And, the reconciliation process does present an opportunity and we’re reviewing that to see what’s possible through reconciliation.

“So, we’re certainly gonna keep our commitment to the American people to make every effort we can to repeal it.

“It is a statement to the obvious, however, that Obama — of Obamacare — is the President of the United States, so I don’t want people to have [unrealistic] expectations about what may actually become law with Obama — of Obamacare — in the White House. But we intend to keep our commitment to the American people. Now, that doesn’t mean we might not also want to target parts of the law that we know enjoy bipartisan opposition. It is a lot of concern about the 40-hour workweek, a lot of concern about the individual mandate.”

Leader McConnell added, “[Jonathan] Gruber has made clear that it required all kinds of deception in order to get it passed. We were saying that at the time, but everybody just assumed we were just hard nosed partisans … but, virtually everything Gruber has said confirms what we were saying during that debate in 2009. But, yeah, to sum it up: we have a strong obligation to the American people to do everything within our power to get rid of it.”

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