by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Last week
The Rotary Club welcomed Dr. James Rohack, president-elect of the American Medical Association, who talked about health issues in terms of projected developments in patient care.
He asked members and guests to raise their hands if they were born between 1946-64. When more than half of the audience complied, Rohak remarked, “We’re the Baby Boomers and we’re going to break the Medicare system.”
He then pointed out, “We have to have a more sustainable system. Unless Congress acts, American physicians who see Medicare patients will see a 21 percent reduction” in reimbursements for those patients.
Rohack also said Americans’ well-being greatly depends on personal choices. If proper decisions are made, health care costs can be drastically reduced.
“We have to create mechanisms to keep ourselves healthy,” he added then listed smoking, the “risky use” of alcohol, proper nutrition and physical activity as the most important health factors.
“Modern medicine has improved countless lives. In 1907, the average life expectancy was only 47 years. By 1965 that had increased to 68 years and today it’s 78 years or more. We replace knees and hips like it’s no big deal,” said Rohack.
When asked what the medical community is doing about the swine flu pandemic, Rohack replied, “Remember, it’s the influenza virus. Wash your hands and sneeze into your elbow. It’s not costly to prevent the spread of that disease.”
Next week
The Rotary Club of Jacksonville will meet Monday at noon in the second-floor ballroom at the Omni.
The keynote speaker will be Don Jones, CEO of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, but he won’t be talking about the medical profession.
He was also a passenger Jan. 15 on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 that crash landed in the Hudson River on its way to Charlotte, N.C. Jones will share his story of survival, waiting in 32-degree water to be rescued and what it was like to come home.