HOUSTON -- Local lawmakers and health care providers who gathered at St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown Houston on Tuesday want support for legislation that would overhaul health care in America.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) said, "We are here for a call to action. HR 3200 is going to be a blessing, if you will. It's going to be a responsible legislative initiative to our health care providers."

But a group of doctors is saying not so fast.

Houston otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Smith said, "We all think that reform is necessary, but what (type) of reform?"

Smith was one of the first physicians to sign up for the Million Med March where doctors will rally on Capitol Hill, demanding that they not be left out of the health care debate.

Smith said, "I would hope that Congress and the President take a strong hard look at the opinions of the hard working, everyday doctors of this country. I think when you talk about the government trying to intervene in health care, you simply have to look at the (Veterans Affairs hospitals) or Medicaid or Medicare systems and then realize that 30 percent of primary care doctors don't see Medicare patients. I don't see Medicare patients anymore and I'm not proud of that, but it's an economic decision."

He explained that when it comes to insurance reimbursements, "I've watched my insurance-based practice go from 80 cents on every dollar billed to the insurance company, I receive about 80 cents of that. That's down to about 15 cents now."

The Million Med March is the grassroots idea of Dr. Richard Chudacoff, a Las Vegas obstetrician/gynecologist who began his career in the Texas Medical Center.

The doctors are asking for better, more efficient, cost-effective care without the public option.

Speaking by telephone while on his way to Washington, D.C., Chudacoff said, "We're going there for our patients. That's just the only thing that matters. We care about our patients. We're the ones that take care of our patients and if Congress doesn't take us seriously, we may allow the senators and congressmen to take care of the patients themselves."

He added, "You can have a very poorly written health care policy, but if you don't have the physicians, you have no health care policy at all. If we don't feel that we can practice medicine the way it should be practiced in the United States, with a strong physician-patient relationship, we're probably not going to practice any more."

Supporters of the Million Med March believe that if the health care bill goes through as is, some 45 percent of doctors will either quit or retire early. They also call into question the quality of new recruits.

Smith said, "I used to say you can't have health care without doctors, but you actually can. But, you have to ask yourself, what kind of care would that be?"

The Million Med March and rally takes place on Thursday in Washington, D.C.