Hagan: 'Pipeline' of primary docs needed

Sen. Kay Hagan said that any health care reform bill must address ways to get more doctors into primary care.

Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, was interviewed by Scott Fitzgerald on WPTF, 680-AM Wednesday morning. Fitzgerald asked what would happen to the system if a health care reform bill added 47 million people to the health care system.

"We've got to have a pipeline where we can have more primary care physicians, nurses, medical technicians," Hagan said.

She said a senate bill does address that issue as does a bill she sponsored that is meant to help doctors set up primary care practices in rural areas. Her Rural Pipeline Physicians Act is meant to address the fact that only 10 percent of primary care doctors work in rural areas.

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Re: Hagan: 'Pipeline' of primary docs needed

Submitted by BitterEXdemocrat on August 26, 2009 - 8:03pm.

hagan wont be able to answer such questions...

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Re: Hagan: 'Pipeline' of primary docs needed

Submitted by ruralnc on August 26, 2009 - 3:00pm.

Ben,
Please ask Senator Hagan, if this is such a good bill for the American people, why did she vote against allowing Congress and their staff to be enrolled into it?

Vote Tally

To require Members of Congress and congressional staff to enroll in a Federal health insurance program: Agreed to (12-11)

Republicans:
Alexander- Aye
Burr- Aye
Coburn- Aye
Enzi- Aye
Gregg- Nay
Hatch- Aye
Isakson- Aye
McCain- Aye
Murkowski- Aye
Roberts- Aye

Democrats:
Bingaman- Nay
Brown- Nay
Casey- Nay
Dodd- Aye
HAGAN- Nay
Harkin- Nay
Kennedy- Aye
Merkley- Nay
Mikulski- Aye
Murray- Nay
Reed- Nay
Sanders- Nay
Whitehouse- Nay

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Re: Hagan: 'Pipeline' of primary docs needed

Submitted by jgriffith3792 on August 26, 2009 - 2:17pm.

How about tort reform and limiting malpractice insurance costs and limiting legal fees - not payouts or settlements? The reason we do not have have doctors in many rural areas of NC is due the lawsuits of John Edwards that caused malpractice insurance to skyrocket. In order to pay malpractice insurance, drs have to see a lot of patients which leads them to more populated areas. Fix what Edwards screwed up and the problem will fix itself. But, I am not holding my breath on tort reform.

Hagan is worthless.

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Re: Hagan: 'Pipeline' of primary docs needed

Submitted by JoeColetti on August 26, 2009 - 1:25pm.

Why not open up licensing so nurse practitioners and others can do what they were trained to do, costs can go down, and we don't have to create even more new government programs to deal with the consequences of previously (or concurrently) created government programs?

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