News

MSMS's Legislative Priorities

Ted Golden, M.D. supports the MSMS Legislative Priorities unless noted otherwise.

Posted on January 17, 2018 10:34

The Michigan State Medical Society legislative agenda, as follows:

  1. Insurance and Regulatory Advocacy 
    • Support mental health parity
    • Advocate for adequately sized physician networks
    • Regulate narrow networks
    • Appropriate access to telemedicine
    • Advocate regulation of silent PPO/rental networks
    • Reduce unnecessary administrative costs:
      1. Streamlined credentialing
      2. Streamlined claims processing
      3. Reducing benefit variability
    • Oppose attempts to legislatively mandate pay-for-performance
    • Oppose legislative attempts to weaken Michigan’s automobile no-fault insurance laws (Dr. Golden wants changes within the no-fault framework)
    • Seek repeal of the certificate of need (Dr. Golden does not support)
    • Oppose ownership of medical practices by non-physician corporate interests
    • Ensure regulatory changes to individual health insurance market are appropriate and fair to physicians and consumers
    • Support policies to minimize "bad debt" to physician practices
       
  2. Public Health and Prevention
    • Restore Michigan's helmet law
    • Support vaccine availability
    • Support wellness incentives
    • Appropriate access to pain medication/reduce prescription drug diversion
    • Reduce childhood environmental hazards
    • Support efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies
    • Support school-based nutrition and exercise standards
       
  3. Professional Liability
    • Preserve existing tort reforms
    • Advocate for higher negligence thresholds in medical liability cases
    • Eliminate the lost opportunity doctrine
    • Restore legislative intent of tort reforms related to meaningful caps on non-economic damages
    • Restore legislative intent of tort reforms related to court rules and procedures to level the playing field for physicians
    • Seek pilot projects of medical courts and other non-judicial alternatives to the tort system
    • Advocate liability relief for legislatively mandated standards of practice
       
  4. Physician Supply and Training
    • Increase graduate medical education funding at state level
    • Minimize burden of medical school debt
    • Support for a Physician Primary Care Scholarship program
       
  5. Medicaid
    • Seek funding parity with Medicare
    • Oppose taxes that are limited only to physicians
    • Seek funding sources that are fair and sustainable
    • Support Medicaid Expansion
    • Tax credits for physicians to encourage participation with Medicaid
    • Ensure access to primary care physicians and sub-specialty physicians
       
  6. Insurance Contracting Reform
    • Limit retroactive audit timeframes
    • Support adequate disclosure of fee screens
    • Limit extrapolation of penalties during audits
    • Reform co-pay requirements
    • Support "for-cause" termination
    • Support non-discrimination of qualified physicians
    • Prohibit "all products" clauses
    • Create a reasonable definition of "covered services"
    • Advocate standards for amending contracts
    • Support payment accountability
       
  7. Scope of Practice
    • Support education over legislation as the means of increasing scope of practice
    • Oppose independent prescriptive authority by non-physicians
    • Oppose surgical privileges for non-physicians
    • Oppose direct access to physical therapy
    • Support the physician-led team based approach to health care
    • Support patient right-to-know/health professional credentials disclosure
       

For more information about MSMS legislative advocacy, contact MSMS.

Dr. Ted Golden's Health and Health Care Legislative Priorities:

1. Tanning booth ban if under age 18 - Prevent Melanoma and Skin Cancer

2. Tobacco 21 (must be 21 years old to buy tobacco products) - Prevent Lung Cancer and Emphysema 

3. Subtraction of medical expenses paid with after tax dollars from gross income

4. Patient protection from fee gouging

5. Transparency, accountability, and appeal process concerning complaints to state medical licensing boards

6. Michigan constitutional amendment giving the legislative branch of state government powers concerning civil law suits instead of the Michigan Supreme Court

7. Employer paid health insurance for some part time employees

8. Repeal of Michigan's only state in the nation law to grant immunity to drug companies concerning civil lawsuits.

9. I favor a Medicare for All healthcare plan.  I would like to point out that the Fourth Resolution of the Democratic Party 2018 Spring Convention stated that this would have to be done at the National level.  Therefore, Medicare for All will not be included in my campaign.