The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) announced their support for many of the provisions contained in H.R. 3400, the “Empowering Patients First Act,” which was unveiled in Congress last week.
“America’s neurosurgeons are working to achieve meaningful healthcare reform legislation that will fix what is broken with our current healthcare system, without destroying what already works well,” stated Troy M. Tippett, MD, President of the AANS. “The Empowering Patients First Act includes a targeted set of reforms that will help individuals obtain health insurance coverage and ensure consumer choice without a lot of new government mandates.”
P. David Adelson, MD, President of the CNS agreed, stating, “We are pleased that this legislation will preserve patient access to quality healthcare provided by the doctor of his or her choice – specialists and primary care alike.” He further added, “The country is facing a looming shortage of surgeons, and this bill takes a number of important steps to ensure that we maintain and train enough surgeons, who provide vital lifesaving treatment to our nation’s citizens.”
The AANS and CNS support the legislation because the bill: