Updated 4/2/2009: see below

Further discussion and information can be found in the forum here .

Here is a rather distressing piece of information that I read this morning:

1 of every 4 Texans is uninsured.

That's a rather humbling and disheartening statistic. With that in mind, our health care system needs to continue to seek out ways for patients to get the care they need, when they need it, in a cost-efective manner.

Direct access to physical therapy can help contribute to the solution. By removing one additional step in the process of attaining the necessary care, Texans can save a significant amount of money. Health care costs will drop, and this will help everyone - insured and uninsured.

Take a moment to ponder why anyone in the health care system would oppose this. It's an issue of access, and cost savings - which are both good things for all Texans. Direct access has not been found to increase liability claims in states that have it. In the end, it's a winning proposal for all. But in the same breath, you also need to consider the forces that would oppose such legislation and the lobbyists that support them.

This issue shouldn't be about the lobbyists, and it shouldn't be about the powers-that-be with the not-so-well-hidden agendas of money and power that continue to tell us that they have the patient's best interest from and center. This is about access to appropriate health care. This is about a system that is financially strapped - for the insured and the uninsured.

And it's about you, the patient.

If you care about your cost of care, and you care about your access to care, then I would suggest one thing: it's time to write to your legislator in support of HB 607 and SB 433. By speaking out, we can all benefit.

Update 4/2/2009: Texas Medical Association reports on their website that Texas ranks #43 of 50 states for a "shortage of physicians, both primary care physicians and specialists". There aren't enough physicians in the state, and they are not supporting direct access to physical therapy to provide improved access to care. Is this about the consumer? Again, you make the call.