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Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.)
Specialty: Obstetrics and gynecology
Active license: Yes
Age: 67
Elected: 2008
Medical degree: M.D., University of Tennessee, 1970
Sponsored legislation: HR 452 (repeals the ACA’s Independent Payment Advisory Board)
Key healthcare votes
Yea: Repeal of ACA, HR2 (2011), HR 6079 (2012); repeal funding for health insurance exchanges, HR 1213 (2011); repeal prevention and public health fund, HR 1217 (2011)
Nay: ACA, HR 3590 (2010); CHIP expansion, HR 2 (2009)
(Answers provided via e-mail)
How does being a physician affect your approach to Congress?
“My time as a physician allows me to play an active role in the healthcare debate. Having helped start and manage my own practice, I understand the importance of patient-centered care. For years, I watched TennCare cripple the state budget, and watched as state dollars went toward bureaucracy that could have been spent on patient care. My concern is that the ACA will implement a model very similar to TennCare and that we’ll see some of those same problems on a much larger scale.”
What happens now with the ACA?
“I would like to see the bill repealed and replaced with a plan that is affordable for our country and makes care affordable for patients. While the current political climate is challenging, at the very minimum some serious changes need to be made within the law. For example, I would like to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board.”
What’s a healthcare priority the ACA didn’t address?
“We must lower the cost of healthcare and ensure physicians have coverage from frivolous lawsuits. The ACA does nothing to lower the actual cost of care—it actually does the opposite. Making care more affordable will help expand coverage.” |
