This has caused consumers of this state to incur unnecessary expense for their minor ailments. Often, physicians will require patients with minor complaints to go through an expensive office visit before the physician will authorize the purchase of the most effective medicines available to the sick. Consumers are tired of paying for these unnecessary visits. At a recent political rally in Johnson County, I spoke to a number of my constituents and a majority of them confirmed my belief that this burdensome, expensive, and unnecessary practice is widespread in our state.
Physicians make too much money for the services they render.
I urge you to vote for this bill. If physicians' offices are crowded, they are crowded for reasons that are different from those suggested by Senator Favor. With high operating costs, difficulties in collecting medical bills, and exponential increases in the costs of malpractice insurance, physicians are lucky to keep their heads above water. In order to do so, they must make their practices more efficient, relying upon nurses and laboratories to do some of the patient screening. No one disputes the fact that medical expenses are soaring.