Fil-Am health professionals sound off on Trumpcare

OAKLAND, California — Days after House Speaker Paul Ryan withdrew his own Republican party’s health care bill that would have replaced Obamacare, Filipino American health professionals wished American leaders would think more deeply of what’s at stake when it comes to Americans’ health care.

President Donald Trump targeted Obamacare for immediate repeal and replacement just as the Republicans have been raring to do so for seven years. But the replacement bill disappointed moderate party members and alienated its most conservative members who just wanted a repeal. Trump blamed non-cooperative Democrats.

The obvious partisan nature of the debate elicited worries among health care practitioners.

Dr. Maria Magadia Ona, of Franklin, Virginia, a general pediatrician, believes that American health care and its benefits should not be subjected to partisan decision, especially every time there is a change in administrations.

Dr. Maria Magadia Ona believes that American healthcare and its benefits should not be subjected to partisan decisions. CONTRIBUTED

“Health care is owned by the people and not by the government, so

labeling it as Obamacare or Trumpcare is trivial since it is designed having the people in mind,” Ona stressed.

“The Hippocratic oath guides doctors not to look at their patient’s political preference or their ability to pay.  Staying well and healing ailments is universal and not exclusive to any political or religious affiliation and much less their economic standing,” she added.

Ona, a community physician for Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, in Norfolk, Virginia, considers herself as a conservative Republican. Nevertheless, she believes that both political parties want to increase insurance quality and affordability, lower the number of uninsured and increase coverage and reduce the cost of health care.

“In my opinion, Obamacare is not totally bad. It has good intentions of helping the marginalized.  I like that it thought of individuals with preexisting condition, continuous parental health coverage for individuals till they turn 26 and the idea of tax-free Health Savings Account,” admitted Ona. “I do not agree, however, that one has to be penalized if they are not insured medically, especially if this is economically prohibitive.”

Ona agreed that the seven-point plan in the Republican health care bill is reasonable, but several points are already part of Obamacare so a complete repeal is not necessary and is expensive.

Dr. Napoleon Bernardo branded the Republican “Trumpcare” as actually “Obamacare-lite.” CONTRIBUTED

“I can understand why President Trump said that Obamacare is waiting to explode — premiums and deductibles are just increasing exponentially as the working middle class and the Medicaid recipients abuse their entitlement by frequenting the emergency rooms and having a lot of no-shows in medical appointments. Also, insurance and pharmaceutical companies usually call the shots and make healthcare costs high,” Ona argued.

Twenty-year Fremont, California dentist Dr. Estrella “Lita” Trinidad, who is also a Republican, also believes that health care benefits should not be changed every time there is a new president.

“I do believe that a lot of people benefited from Obamacare. It is comforting to know that everyone rich or poor has access to health insurance. However, as a dental health provider, we have to keep up with a lot of red tape and other paper works that come in accepting Dentical. That is the reason why a lot of dental offices do not accept Dentical because of immense paperwork and payment is minimal.”

Trinidad added that Dentical itself does not cover many dental procedures and actually made it hard to approve certain procedures that otherwise should be covered.

Dentist Dr. Estrella “Lita” Trinidad, a Republican, believes that healthcare and its benefits should not be changed every time there is a new president. CONTRIBUTED

“The patient still ends up paying out-of-pocket costs and other fees that they cannot afford,” Trinidad rued. “This is where improvement can be made. The next health care bill should have more expanded treatment coverage aside from facilitating easier billing and faster processing of claims.”

Sacramento, California hospitalist Napoleon Bernardo, MD branded “Trumpcare” as “Obamacare-lite.”

“Although the Trumpcare would still include some beneficial features such as being able to stay under your parents’ coverage until age 26, coverage for those with pre-existing condition, Medicaid coverage and tax subsidies, there are unfavorable provisions in Trumpcare in that Medicaid would have capped funding in each state. Another objectionable provision is that tax subsidies would no longer be based on an individual’s income, but based on age. This kind of tax cuts would only benefit the wealthy households and powerful corporations,” Bernardo pointed out.

The Republican bill would allow insurers to impose a 30-percent surcharge on the premiums of those who let their coverage lapse for at least 63 days, which Bernardo also frowns on.

Dr. Rene Relos (shown with wife, TV broadcaster Gel Santos-Relos) of Kaiser Redwood City surgery department, said that one of Obamacare’s inspirations is the Kaiser Permanente model. CONTRIBUTED

“Instead of the GOP trying so hard to repeal and replace the Obamacare, why not find ways to improve our current health system and make it more affordable for all?”

Bernardo wondered. “As it is, Trumpcare would entail unaffordable health care coverage, resulting in more uninsured individuals and the already insured would subsequently lose their existing health care coverage due to higher cost.”

Without commenting directly on the issue, Dr. Rene Relos of Kaiser Redwood City surgery department, bared that one of Obamacare’s inspirations is the Kaiser Permanente model, to which he has belonged since 2005 both as an employee and co-owner with his colleagues.

“Kaiser’s system has three separate companies — Kaiser Foundation Hospitals (manages Kaiser Hospitals), Kaiser Health Insurance, Permanente Medical Group where doctors, like me, belong. Cost is minimized because there is no third party involved that gets in the way of giving the best health care to patients,” Dr. Relos relayed in a message through his wife, TFC broadcaster Gel Santos-Relos.