Statement of Peter E. Eupierre, M.D.
ISMS President
Cover the Uninsured Media Conference
April 26, 2006
I’m Dr. Peter Eupierre, a practicing internist from Melrose Park, and current president of the Illinois State Medical Society. Day-in- and-day-out, I see patients whose health status has suffered because they simply lack medical insurance. They forego preventive care completely. They wait to see a doctor until they can’t afford not to. They’re sick …. sometimes very sick. And they pay the price of not being insured with their own health.
We need to make insurance coverage available and affordable for all. We need to make it portable so that people can carry it with them as they change jobs, or life situations. We need to offer insurance choices that recognize and meet the diverse needs of our patients.
Doctors recognize that none of this will be easy. But, expanding medical insurance makes fundamental economic sense. More importantly, it is the only humane and compassionate course for a great country to take.
Let me give you an example. Imagine a poor diabetic or hypertensive patient who is uninsured or under-insured. If suddenly covered by health insurance, that patient will be much more likely to see a physician regularly … less likely to seek emergency care … or end up on dialysis, or with a stroke. For every patient we keep off of dialysis, society saves literally tens of thousands of dollars per year.
For every disabling stroke we prevent, society saves thousands more. How much additional care can be funded with these savings? How many more years of productive work and taxable income can these patients contribute? And most importantly, what about the quality of life that’s preserved?
The doctors of Illinois believe we must work together NOW to expand access to medical insurance. Physicians have a long history of providing charity care to those in need. But charity care is not the solution. Access to health insurance for everyone – in Illinois and across our great nation – must be our long-term common goal.
Let me close by urging all citizens to express their concern … to let members of Congress know health insurance coverage is a critical national problem that must be a top Congressional priority. In Illinois, we are doing what we can to help those living without insurance. But this is a national problem that demands national attention. It is time to put politics aside and take meaningful steps toward solution.
Thank you very much.
Twenty North Michigan Avenue, Suite 700 Chicago, Illinois 60602 Telephone: 312-782-1654 Toll Free: 800-782-ISMS Fax: 312-782-2028