Doctors March for Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The battle over health care reform is raging on the Hill. The leader of the Senate Finance Committee has high hopes of finishing work on a sweeping reform bill by Thursday night.

On Thursday, doctors from across the country descended on Washington with their own prescription for health care reform. They held a rally and then marched on the Capitol calling the public insurance option the wrong medicine.

"Is there a government program you've ever seen that's lowered costs?" Dr. Fred Shessel, with Doctors4PatientCare said. "Let's look at the big government programs. Medicare is going to be broke in about four years."

They want tort reform, insurance portability and the ability to buy health insurance across state lines, not the government dictating patient care.

"When that 76-year-old man is my father, I want every test done and I want him to receive the best care possible," Dr. Shivani Bhatia, an anesthesiologist said.

The Senate Finance Committee continued to hammer out a bill. It's the seventh day of debate for the senate panel. The legislation would extend coverage to 95 percent of Americans and create non-profit insurance cooperatives. Committee Chairman Max Baucus, (D) Montana, says he has the votes.

"If we're serious about making sure Americans have health insurance, we must have shared responsibility and that shared responsibility is all Americans are in this and we all have to participate," Baucus told the committee.

Health care legislation could go to the floor of the House and Senate by mid-October. Leaders in the House say the legislation will have a public option.

"We don't intend to go to the floor without a public option in our bill and that is my statement on the public option," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) California.

Senate leaders have competing bills, one with the public option another without. Opponents are confident the public option will fail.

"The pure public option or public option with trigger-- I think it's dead on arrival," said Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) Georgia said.

An amendment passed in the Senate Finance Committee will allow states to negotiate coverage for the poor. It's another form of a public plan that opponents say will limit options when what's needed is more competition.

"You can go anywhere and get a great car quote but you can't do that with your health insurance because you're limited by your options," said Dr. Brooks Parker, a Hospital Physician from Indiana.

Even though Democrats are pushing through with reform, these doctors are not giving up. The President says his door is open and they'll keep knocking.