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Dr. Syed Reza knows how to treat patients and the cost of treating them. Reza is the chief physician and owner of Primary Medical Service a walk-in clinic on Main Avenue in Norwalk thats open seven days a week. Reza believes the victory in the Obama Adminstrations new healthcare law is not actually health care reform, but health insurance reform.
Reza , who started his practice in 1992, sees about 200 patients a week. He estimates 25 percent of these are uninsured. He says the bill is important because it makes insurers more responsible. Under the new law, insurance companies have to cover pre-existing conditions, particularly for children. Although insurance companies will now have to cover more people, Reza sees them as the big winners of the new legislation. They will be adding millions of people into their pool. Of course, they can afford to take on greater risk. [breakhere]
Reza is concerned, however, that the law will not help middle class Americans, especially in places like Fairfield County. Under the new plan, a family making more than $88,000 does not qualify for federally subsidized insurance. What about the family making $100,000 that doesnt have health insurance? asks Reza. We know theres not much left after monthly expenses. This law doesn't help them
Reza is also worried about the cost of the new law. He says he would have like to have seen the federal government expand already existing state programs like Connecticuts Charter Oak plan. Under Charter Oak, residents who do not qualify for existing state health insurance programs and are not insured through an employer are eligible for the affordable premiums and co-pays. That would have more cost-effective than a federal solution which will be very expensive.
Reza approves of the laws emphasis on preventative care. There will be more insured Americans and more of an emphasis on preventative care. In the new law, patients do not have co-pays for preventative care like routine physicals. As a result of the changes, Reza expects his reimbursements to go down but patient volume to increase. He is not too worried about how the bill will affect his practice, though. Ill just have to work smarter and harder to make sure my bottom line doesnt suffer.
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