The new president of the Iowa Medical Society says a top issue at this week’s of the American Medical Association is “geographic equity.” Doctor Tom Evans is attending the doctor’s conference in Chicago and says Iowa’s not the only state wrestling with low Medicare rates for healthcare. He says “the rich get richer and the poor are paying for it” and notes that Iowans pay the same federal taxes people do in New York or Florida but the formula’s “slanted” so some areas get higher reimbursement for medical services provided there. It’s not just that the doctor didn’t listen, but patients didn’t understand what a doctor said and he says the professionals need to work harder to make people understand. Dr. Evans says they’re not speaking different languages, but many don’t quite understand what a doctor’s told them — and that can lead to not following instructions, or taking medication wrong, which studies have found can cost a LOT of money. Evans is at the AMA conference through Thursday.
