No-cost surgical care provider says law won’t cut need

Dr. Kevin Petersen, a Las Vegas surgeon, founded Helping Hands Surgical Care, a nonprofit organization that offers no-cost surgeries to uninsured Southern Nevadans. But even with Thursday's mostly favorable Supreme Court decision on President Barack Obama's health care law, Petersen doesn't expect Helping Hands to go out of business anytime soon.

"I don't think there's going to be any end to the number of patients that are going to need charity surgery, which is what Helping Hands does," Petersen said Thursday.

For Agustin Cervantes, Helping Hands is nothing less than the answer to a prayer.

Cervantes, 53, has no health insurance. He had been employed as a maintenance worker until a hernia became so painful four years ago that he no longer could work.

"I (felt) so bad," Cervantes said. "I can't walk. I can't do many things. So I was scared."

Then, his father showed him a story about Helping Hands in the Review-Journal. When he went to see Petersen, "I (told) him: 'Dr. Petersen, I need help. If you don't, I feel like I (will) die.' "

Cervantes underwent surgery on Monday. And on Thursday?

"So far, so good. So wonderful," Cervantes said.

Petersen "gave me my life back," he continued, adding he hopes to be rehired in his old job.

Helping Hands serves people who, for one reason or another, fall through the cracks. Patients have no insurance and don't qualify for Medicaid, Petersen said, "and a few more of them will qualify for Medicaid with the law."

"But I have seen no shortage of patients that need the charity care," he said. "There's no shortage of that. I don't think (the law is) going to change either my private practice or my charity (practice)."

Petersen said Thursday that he has "mixed feelings" about the law.

"The law as written will help a certain, small portion of the population that is in particular need, and I appreciate that about the law," he said. "But I don't think there is anything in the law that is going to decrease the cost of health care. I think the cost of health care is going to skyrocket."

Even the law's proponents "say it's only going to cover half of the 45 million who are currently uninsured," Petersen said.

"So it's still a huge segment of the population that will not have coverage, and their lives will get even tougher, not easier."

Federal support - via, for example, Medicaid - currently covers health care for some of this uninsured population, Petersen said.

"But there's another segment of the population - for example, those not old enough for Medicare, and early retirees - there's nothing in the law that helps them. Their insurance premiums are going to be astronomically high."

Beyond all of that, Petersen said, "I think it's a political mess, and it's going to be just a huge fight for the next two to four years, or whatever, and quite frankly, I'm sick of all the politics.

"All I want to do is just take care of my patients."

Contact reporter John Przybys at
jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.