ASA President Comments on Signing of Health Reform Reconciliation Bill

Alexander A. Hannenberg, MD, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, reacted to President Obama's signing of the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, saying the new law required "continued scrutiny, action and involvement by ASA and others in the medical community," according to an ASA news release.

Dr. Hannenberg said in the release the ASA had begun to outreach to key members of Congress to discuss potential changes regarding specific provisions of the law and noted that opponents of the bill had also moved ahead with proposals for changes. Notably, he said Representative Pete Stark (D-Calif.) has announced plans to change provisions related to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, according to the release.

To address these concerns, the ASA has created the "ASA Post-Reform Key Issues 'Watch' List," which includes health insurance reforms, the IPAB, Medicaid expansion and the repeal of the sustainable growth rate, among other areas.

Dr. Hannenberg concluded by commending the efforts of many ASA members who "have embraced this time of great anxiety and concern as a personal 'Call to Action,'" according to the release. He said in the release the goal of the ASA in response to the new law was "to ensure that remedies to the shortcomings of American healthcare strengthen, not threaten, the medical specialty of anesthesiology."

Read Dr. Hannenberg's statement on the healthcare reform reconciliation bill.