IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 173

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the unique and vital health care

services provided by osteopathic physicians must be included in any

health care benefits package developed as part of health care system

reform.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOVEMBER 4, 1993

Mr. BARCIA of Michigan (for himself Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.

KILDEE, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. TOWNS, and Mr. WYDEN)

introduced the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on Energy and Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the unique and

vital health care services provided by osteopathic physicians must be included in any health care benefits package developed as part of health care system reform.

Whereas there exist two distinct branches of medicine in the

United States—osteopathic physicians, denoted by the

initials D.O., and allopathic physicians, denoted by the

initials M.D.;

Whereas osteopathic physicians comprise 5.5 per centum

(thirty five thousand) of all complete physicians in the

United States;
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HCON 173 IH

Whereas each year over one hundred million patient visits are

made to osteopathic physicians;

Whereas the unique focus of osteopathic medicine, with its

guiding principle of treating the whole person, has rooted

the profession in a philosophy which emphasizes primary

care and prevention;

Whereas for more than one hundred years, the osteopathic

profession has trained more than 50 per centum of its

physicians in primary care areas;

Whereas policy makers agree that the number of primary

care physicians must be increased if appropriate health

care is to be made available to all Americans;

Whereas osteopathic medical education has a unique internship requiring a rotation in internal medicine, OB/GYN,

family practice and surgery, ensuring that osteopathic

physicians are first trained as primary care physicians,

regardless of whether one chooses to specialize;

Whereas, osteopathic physicians provide complete medical

care in all specialties with over half of the physicians currently practicing in primary care;

Whereas, osteopathic physicians comprise 15 per centum of

all physicians practicing in communities of ten thousand

or less, and 18 per centum of all physicians serving communities of two thousand five hundred or less;

Whereas osteopathic physicians serve approximately one out

of every seven Medicare and one out of every four Medicaid recipients in the United States;

Whereas osteopathic physicians comprise 10 per centum of all

physicians serving in the military; and
3

HCON 173 IH

Whereas, despite their valuable contributions to the nation’s

health care, osteopathic physicians continue to experience

discrimination from some health care institutions and

managed care entities: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that any

3 legislation enacted to reform the health care delivery sys4 tem of the United States should include the services of5 fered by all of the Nation’s osteopathic physicians. Specifi6 cally, such legislation should:

7 (1) Ensure that any American included in the

8 health care coverage systems supported by the Unit9 ed States Government have the opportunity, without

10 restriction, to secure the services of an osteopathic

11 physician.

12 (2) Encourage and advance practices and prin13 ciples utilized by the osteopathic profession which

14 are proven to produce high numbers of physicians

15 trained in all areas of primary care.

Æ