National Medical Association’s Dr. Willarda Edwards
Weighing in on reform
Weighing in on reform
Dr. Willarda Edwards was recently
installed as the president of the
National Medical Association in Las
Vegas.
installed as the president of the
National Medical Association in Las
Vegas.
By Jonathan Gramling
The National Medical Association (NMA) was formed in 1895 — 114 years ago — in part because
African American doctors were not able to join the American Medical Association. And ever since, the
NMA has been an advocacy and support group for African American and other medical professionals of
color and for policy initiatives that promote health and well-being in communities of color.
According to Dr. Willarda Edwards, the newly-installed president of NMA, the organization was an
early and strong supporter for the establishment of Medicare back in the 1960s. And it now stands firmly
behind President Barack Obama’s current health care reform initiative.
“There is a lot at stake for African Americans,” Edwards emphasized during a telephone interview
with The Capital City Hues. “First of all, we’re talking about increasing the access that people have to
health care providers and health care insurance. Then also we’re looking at more appropriate forms of
prevention services as well as wellness services. Of the 46 million people who are uninsured, an
inordinate number are African Americans and other people of color. We feel very strongly about
providing universal access to health care that may include a single payer or public option. We feel that it
does definitely stimulate competition and therefore will help ensure that more affordable and accessible
coverage is offered so that patients can then get the services that they need, especially since that is the
issue that people are focused on, that is health disparities.”
Edwards said that the NMA stands firmly behind a public option. As a health care practitioner,
Edwards must constantly deal with Medicare. “For many physicians, Medicare is the better payer,”
Edwards observed. “And that is a government-run health insurance.” Edwards feels that a public
The National Medical Association (NMA) was formed in 1895 — 114 years ago — in part because
African American doctors were not able to join the American Medical Association. And ever since, the
NMA has been an advocacy and support group for African American and other medical professionals of
color and for policy initiatives that promote health and well-being in communities of color.
According to Dr. Willarda Edwards, the newly-installed president of NMA, the organization was an
early and strong supporter for the establishment of Medicare back in the 1960s. And it now stands firmly
behind President Barack Obama’s current health care reform initiative.
“There is a lot at stake for African Americans,” Edwards emphasized during a telephone interview
with The Capital City Hues. “First of all, we’re talking about increasing the access that people have to
health care providers and health care insurance. Then also we’re looking at more appropriate forms of
prevention services as well as wellness services. Of the 46 million people who are uninsured, an
inordinate number are African Americans and other people of color. We feel very strongly about
providing universal access to health care that may include a single payer or public option. We feel that it
does definitely stimulate competition and therefore will help ensure that more affordable and accessible
coverage is offered so that patients can then get the services that they need, especially since that is the
issue that people are focused on, that is health disparities.”
Edwards said that the NMA stands firmly behind a public option. As a health care practitioner,
Edwards must constantly deal with Medicare. “For many physicians, Medicare is the better payer,”
Edwards observed. “And that is a government-run health insurance.” Edwards feels that a public
option is necessary to keep health care costs reasonable across the board.
Edwards recalled what happened the last time that health care reform was tried back in 1994 during the Clinton Administration. “All of the
insurers were saying ‘No, no, no, we don’t want this,’” Edwards recalled. “They used scare tactics to defeat health care reform. Then they
proceeded to jack up the price of their premiums. It decreased the quality of the care that patients could get. There was never any incentive for
the insurance companies to improve on the quality of care that they were covering. There was never any incentive for them to decrease the cost.
They skyrocketed the cost instead.”
While a common cry against a public option is that the government will be inserting itself into the patient-doctor relationship, Edwards feels
that insurance companies are essentially doing the same thing now. “We have insurance companies that will tell us that we should be seeing our
patients as opposed to us being able to talk to a colleague and then be able to make a decision about what is the best care for the patients,”
Edwards said. “We have people who aren’t even in medicine who are making decisions that should be made between the doctor and the patient.
I think that is what has been a major problem for the private insurers at this point and is causing problems with the doctor-patient relationship. I
like what Obama is saying right now that the government is not going to get between the doctor-patient relationship.”
Edwards is supportive of the choice that people can make to keep their existing health plans or switch to a public option. She also noted
Obama’s desire for members of Congress to be members of the public option as well. “I think that is beautiful because it lets them see how that
insurance really works for them and will therefore work for their constituents,” Edwards said. “They can work out any bugs and problems they are
facing and see whether or not the insurance plan is affordable, accessible and gives quality care. And then if there are problems, they will work it
out and it will be better for everyone.”
And so the NMA is standing firmly behind the president. “The National Medical Association feels that this public option is a way of helping the
insurance companies to see that they need to level the playing field, bring down the cost of health premiums, increase the quality of services that
are being covered by the insurance and make it more affordable and available to people,” Edwards said. “So I think the public option is one of the
ways, as President Obama said, to keep the insurance companies honest and help stimulate the possibility of quality care for everyone.”
Even though the present bill may not be perfect, Edwards urged everyone to get involved. “I definitely want people to know that we are
supporting what President Obama is trying to do and we urge all of our patients to support it and tell their Congressman to support it as well,”
Edwards emphasized. “We have to have health care reform. We have to get a bill passed. I have always told people that the fact we can’t get
everything is never a good argument against doing something.”
Edwards recalled what happened the last time that health care reform was tried back in 1994 during the Clinton Administration. “All of the
insurers were saying ‘No, no, no, we don’t want this,’” Edwards recalled. “They used scare tactics to defeat health care reform. Then they
proceeded to jack up the price of their premiums. It decreased the quality of the care that patients could get. There was never any incentive for
the insurance companies to improve on the quality of care that they were covering. There was never any incentive for them to decrease the cost.
They skyrocketed the cost instead.”
While a common cry against a public option is that the government will be inserting itself into the patient-doctor relationship, Edwards feels
that insurance companies are essentially doing the same thing now. “We have insurance companies that will tell us that we should be seeing our
patients as opposed to us being able to talk to a colleague and then be able to make a decision about what is the best care for the patients,”
Edwards said. “We have people who aren’t even in medicine who are making decisions that should be made between the doctor and the patient.
I think that is what has been a major problem for the private insurers at this point and is causing problems with the doctor-patient relationship. I
like what Obama is saying right now that the government is not going to get between the doctor-patient relationship.”
Edwards is supportive of the choice that people can make to keep their existing health plans or switch to a public option. She also noted
Obama’s desire for members of Congress to be members of the public option as well. “I think that is beautiful because it lets them see how that
insurance really works for them and will therefore work for their constituents,” Edwards said. “They can work out any bugs and problems they are
facing and see whether or not the insurance plan is affordable, accessible and gives quality care. And then if there are problems, they will work it
out and it will be better for everyone.”
And so the NMA is standing firmly behind the president. “The National Medical Association feels that this public option is a way of helping the
insurance companies to see that they need to level the playing field, bring down the cost of health premiums, increase the quality of services that
are being covered by the insurance and make it more affordable and available to people,” Edwards said. “So I think the public option is one of the
ways, as President Obama said, to keep the insurance companies honest and help stimulate the possibility of quality care for everyone.”
Even though the present bill may not be perfect, Edwards urged everyone to get involved. “I definitely want people to know that we are
supporting what President Obama is trying to do and we urge all of our patients to support it and tell their Congressman to support it as well,”
Edwards emphasized. “We have to have health care reform. We have to get a bill passed. I have always told people that the fact we can’t get
everything is never a good argument against doing something.”
