Political Conversion
Believe in TEXPAC--the future of medicine is politics

I’ve been converted! It wasn’t on the road to Damascus, for I am not speaking of religious conversion. Nevertheless, my conversion was real. Actually, I’m a political convert! It wasn’t because of Gov Rick Perry’s last-minute betrayal of physicians by vetoing the prompt pay bill after the last legislative session, although that certainly cemented my transformation. Rather, my conversion has come gradually over the years, despite my absolute resistance at every turn.

Now I believe, at the very least, every DCMS physician should be a member of TMA’s political action committee, TEXPAC. Even if you don’t have the political expertise to help select candidates to support, that’s OK, because there are DCMS members who do have that expertise. Let them take your dues and funnel them to the candidates who will help us in our fight to protect the practice of medicine. Don’t just complain about politics (like I used to)—do something about it.

It took years for me to get involved, because I hate politics! I always have hated politics! When I was in college, my friends would argue passionately about national political issues. I could see how each side came to its conclusion. However, I could never seem to determine that one side was right and the other side was wrong. It seemed apparent to me that each side was not entirely truthful in its characterization of the other side’s positions, and therefore neither side could be trusted to tell the truth. Because I prize honesty above most other virtues, I was turned off by the political game.

When I was an intern, my brother invited me to accompany him to a party for a young politician. This politician gave a brief speech and then asked for questions. I thought he had said all the right things. Then I asked him a question I believed was interesting and appropriate. It apparently was a politically sensitive topic, for he made a point of not answering the question, even when I reworded it and asked him again. I was crushed that my new-found idol was evasive (perhaps dishonest?).

The first time I became convinced that political involvement actually was useful was in 1988. The Texas State Supreme Court had been taken over by candidates sponsored by the trial lawyers. These justices were judicial activists and were making laws that were beneficial to plaintiffs’ attorneys and harmful to physicians. The Supreme Court had become such a disgrace that it was featured in a story on “60 Minutes,” titled “Is Justice for Sale in Texas?” TEXPAC mounted a campaign to support candidates who were judicial conservatives—who would interpret the laws that the Legislature had written, rather than writing their own laws. TEXPAC distributed pocket-sized cards listing candidates it supported. We distributed these in our offices. The campaign was a great success and resulted in a complete turnaround of the Court.

TEXPAC’s 1988 success proved to me that physicians could be a potent political force. However, I believed the need for such political action wouldn’t be necessary more than once in my practice lifetime. As I have become more involved in TMA activities through the House of Delegates and as your president, it has become obvious to me each legislative session brings a multitude of challenges to our profession. Whether it’s prompt pay issues, nonphysicians wanting to write prescriptions, or Workers’ Compensation reimbursement being slashed, physicians face a constant battle in every legislative session to protect the practice of medicine from further erosion.

At the recent TexMed in Dallas, TEXPAC had a dinner celebrating its 40th anniversary. At that meeting, TEXPAC honored Lt Gov Bill Ratliff, Senators Jane Nelson, Rodney Ellis, and Judith Zaffirini, and Representatives Jaime Capelo, Craig Eiland, Toby Goodman, Kyle Janek, and John Smithee for their support of physicians and our patients.

Even at the local level, politics are important. If DCMS wanted to change a city ordinance (for example, smoking in public buildings), it would need the support of a majority of the City Council to get it passed.

Every political/governmental action affects a variety of groups you might not have guessed would have a stake in the issue. It takes lots of political savvy to accomplish even measures that seem noncontroversial. It requires widespread support from physicians to adequately fund the lobbying efforts that are needed during every legislative session.

At the recent meeting of the Texas Society of Colon Rectal Surgeons, I told them they all need to join TEXPAC because the future of Medicine lies in politics, not in science! Medical science already has created the ability to deliver more medical care than the country can afford. The decisions about how that medical care will be distributed will be political! TEXPAC membership levels start at just $125. To join, contact Tracy Casto, DCMS director of public affairs, at 214-948-3622 or tracy@dallas-cms.org.

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