A few days ago, Sheila Suess Kennedy posted an entry on this site asking “Will the Real Woody Myers Please Stand?” which I am here today to respond to on behalf of Dr. Woody Myers. In her previous blog Kennedy made several assertions about Dr. Myers' testimony to Congress in what she characterized as remarks made in hearings which allegedly were held during the debate of the Patient’s Bill of Rights.

First of all, this information which Kennedy passed along came from an anonymous email sent to her which challenged Dr. Myers' credibility based on testimony he gave before Congress when he was an executive with Ford Motor Company. The testimony which she cited at length was indeed testimony he gave in 1999 while with Ford, and the testimony she cited is completely accurate. What is not accurate is the fact that the debate for the Patient's Bill of Rights did not take place until 2001-2002.

The testimony he gave was in hearings about adjustments to the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.The act essentially allowed employers the opportunity to provide health care to their employees across state borders, a move that lowered costs for both the company and employee. This was supported not only by the Ford Motor Company, but also by the United Auto Workers as well.

Dr. Myers has been a tireless advocate for his patients his entire career. If you read Kennedy's post you will see that nowhere is mention made of the Patient's Bill of Rights, however, several referrals to ERISA are made in his remarks.

The post also notes that Dr. Myers had “expressed beliefs that medical care is best ‘left to the free market’” In the testimony included, that line appears nowhere. The idea that Dr. Myers would be against a law based on the principle that “the patient has the right to considerate and respectful care” is simply not true, and is completely contrary to his training as a physician. In order to overcome the monumental health care crisis our country is dealing with, we need a leader in patient care and an advocate for patients in Congress and elsewhere. Dr. Myers has been such a leader both here and abroad as a leader in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

Myers2008's blog | login or register to post comments