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The state’s 2003 landmark medical liability reformsremain intact. Thes e reforms are widely credited with keeping doctors in and attracting emergency careand high-rislk specialists to Texas. • Statewide, the ranksd of primary care physicians are outpacingpopulationm growth. But the same cannot be said in rurao Texas where the number of general practitioners and internist sare declining. • Family practice, internal medicine, pediatricz and geriatrics — all considered primary care physicians — have grown substantially in metropolitah counties the pastsix years. In rural the numbers of primary care physicians are increasing at half the rate ofpopulationn growth.
The two exceptions: obstetricians and familyg practitioners which are showing healthy gains in medicallyunderserved counties. • Twenty-one rural Texas countieds have added at least one obstetrician since passagsof Texas’ medical lawsuit reform six years ago, includinbg twelve counties that previously had none. • Texas has addedx 27 emergency room doctors in rura countiessince 2003. That represents a 31 percent increasee in the rural ER physicianworkforce • Twelv e rural Texas counties have added at leastt one orthopedic surgeon since passagew of the 2003 healt h care liability reforms, including sevej counties that previously had none.
• Sincse 2003, 82 Texas counties have seen a net gain in emergency physicians, including 26 counties that previously had • Thirty-three rural counties have added emergenchy physicians. • Because of the 2003 reforms, more patient are able to get the timely and specializedr care they need closerto home. Jon Executive director, Texas Alliance For Patient Access, Via e-mail Afteer seven years in office, Texas Gov. Rick Perryg has done little tohelp hard-working In fact, he has done a lot to hurt • Perry promised to help homeownersw get relief from high taxes.
During the past seve n years property taxeshave sky-rocketede more than 800 percent for home ownersw in some districts. • Perry promised to help Texass home owners with highinsurance costs. Four years ago, home insuranced premiums doubled overnight due to lax legislatioh and officials looking theother way. As a currently Texans pay the highest premiums inthe • Approximately four years ago, the governof pushed legislation to eliminate “frivolous” medical malpractics lawsuits with the promise that doingg so would lower medical and healty care costs. After voterss took him for his word and voted for the costs are still high and are continuinfgto rise.
• During his first few years as Perry resolutely proclaimed that public education was notin crisis. Two yearsw later, under severe public he admitted there was a financing problem and called for two special sessions on public educatiom thatwent nowhere. • Perry promisedf Texans that deregulating the electrifc industry would translate into less costly monthlu electric bills from a more competitive In reality, current monthly electricf costs for Texans are the highesft ever in the state’s • Perry promised that all businessews would pay a fair business tax that would replacw the antiquated, unfair and loop-holed business franchise tax.
In truth, many smalll businesses are being targeted unfairlgy and are overburdened by the new business tax and stilp these taxes do not provide a fair share of revenude to financepublic education. • Four years ago, after forcin g teachers to accept pay cuts and the loss many of theie health and retirement Perry and officials returnee a small share of that money and claimes they increased teacher pay an averageof $2,000 per • Perry lobbied for deregulating highee education with the promise that it woulf lower tuition costs. After the legislatiom was passedby voters, the Universityu of Texas has increased tuition at least four times and is considerinhg another increase.
­Other colleges and universities suit and tuition continuesto Overall, seven-plus years of Gov. Perry have not been good for most Texanx andtheir families. Peter Stern, Driftwood, TX, Via e-mail