From NJ Med-Peds Resident to Physician Advisor for a Congressman

By Tony Tarchichi, MD
There’s no question that health care reform will strongly impact the careers of all of us in residency. It’s arguably one of the most important public debates of our lives. Like so many of you, I’ve spent time in a state university hospital which is overrun with patients who cannot afford follow-up outpatient care and end up back in our ER. I’ve seen good people who’ve fallen on hard times who just can’t get the care they need. It’s not right.

Before you think that I’m just another liberal, let me give you a little background information: I’m a registered Republican and very fiscally conservative. I believe in small government, was against the bailouts from the beginning, and have read all of Dave Ramsey’s books. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that a healthy population is a productive population, and we need a productive population to be competitive in this global market. Many of the country’s major businesses—including the recently bailed-out car companies—have said in order for them to be viable, we must do something about our rapidly increasing health insurance costs.

How can we as physicians sit by and allow health care costs to be the number one cause of bankruptcy in America? Who understands better than us the need for health care reform? How have we allowed the front line of primary care to be reduced to such an unattractive level that we are seeing our US medical students run full speed in the other direction?

It’s time for a change. I’m for health care reform, including a public option that competes fairly with insurance companies, a greater emphasis on primary care through higher reimbursements, greater student loan service repayment options, and malpractice reform.

CIR has allowed me to get involved and get my hands dirty. Congressman Bill Pascrell from NJ’s 8th district asked for a physician to be a speaker at one of his town hall meetings. Having seen these Town Halls on TV, you might think it was more of a punishment than an honor, but it was an amazing experience for me. I stood up in front of a hostile crowd, having watched two previous speakers get booed off the stage. And you know what? The crowd listened. Since then, I have spoken once more at a Veterans’ fair with the congressman,and have been able to talk to him one-on-one about my views on health care reform. How many people can say that? This is all completely due to CIR.

As physicians, our voice needs to be heard. We have learned this through our experiences on the front lines. As CIR members, we don’t just negotiate contracts; this organization is committed to helping residents make an impact for the national good. They helped turn this average Med-Peds resident into a physician advisor for a congressman— imagine what CIR could do if we all got involved.