AMA announced "qualified support" for passage of Health Reform

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For immediate release:

March 19, 2010

Washington, D.C. – After careful review and consideration, the American Medical Association (AMA) today announced its qualified support for the current health reform bill as a step toward providing coverage to all Americans and improving our nation’s health system.

"The pending bill is imperfect, but we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it comes to something as important as the health of Americans," said J. James Rohack, M.D., AMA president. "By extending health coverage to the vast majority of the uninsured, improving competition and choice in the insurance marketplace, promoting prevention and wellness, reducing administrative burdens, and promoting clinical comparative effectiveness research, this bill will help patients and their physicians."

"While the final product is certainly not what we would have devised, we strongly support the parts of this bill that are desperately needed by millions of Americans who are struggling to get or keep health insurance coverage," Dr. Rohack said. "We will continue to work with Congress and the administration to solve important issues that cannot be addressed through the reconciliation process."

"This is not the last step, but the next step toward real health system reform," Dr. Rohack said. "We will remain actively engaged with Congress and the administration to ensure that before Congress adjourns there are additional important changes to our health system. Congress must act to preserve access to care for seniors and military families by permanently repealing the Medicare physician payment formula that will cut Medicare payments by 21 percent next month. According to an AARP poll, nearly 90 percent of people age 50 and older are concerned that the Medicare physician payment cuts threaten their access to care."

"Congress must also move immediately to correct problems with the Independent Payment Advisory Board," Dr. Rohack said. “The current IPAB framework could result in misguided payment cuts that undermine access to care and destabilize health care delivery. The AMA will be relentless in our pursuit of permanent repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula, corrections to IPAB, and other important changes that we outlined in a letter today to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”

"Every day physicians see the devastating effect that being uninsured has on the health of our patients: They live sicker and die younger," Dr. Rohack said. "Physicians dedicate their lives to helping patients live healthier and longer, and we have an historic opportunity to do just that."

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Media contact:

Katherine Hatwell

American Medical Association

202-789-7419

katherine.hatwell@ama-assn.org

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/ama-supports-reform-passage.shtml

[Peikko 1,575]

Dr's are educated in liberal institutions and are indoctrinated with liberal ideology, hardly surprising they support the Hitler socialist agenda

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Dr's are educated in liberal institutions and are indoctrinated with liberal ideology, hardly surprising they support the Hitler socialist agenda

Word.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm holding out my opinion on this until I hear from Glenn Beck.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

It's a damn shame when an organization tries to speak for ALL of its members. Amusing really.

On top of that, the AMA only makes up about 18% of the nation's doctors...

[SMOKE 1,426]

Dr's are educated in liberal institutions and are indoctrinated with liberal ideology, hardly surprising they support the Hitler socialist agenda

17% of them anyway.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percentage_of_Doctors_in_the_US_belong_to_the_AMA

45% of doctors asked said they'd consider quitting IF it passes

http://www.drudge.com/archive/125183/45-doctors-would-consider-quitting

[Peikko 1,575]

What is the point of a trade or professional organization if not to lobby on behalf of the membership?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What is the point of a trade or professional organization if not to lobby on behalf of the membership?

It's only ok when it's lobbying in the name of profit.

[Peikko 1,575]

Ah, I see. That makes so much more sense now

[SMOKE 1,426]

What is the point of a trade or professional organization if not to lobby on behalf of the membership?

good point. but when the pharma, union & other lobbiest write the bills in harry & nancy's offices....its wrong

It's only ok when it's lobbying in the name of profit.

which they have

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, I don't know about the truth as to who is going to profit from the new bill. I would hope that the people who profit are those who are currently unable to access acceptable health care, which is what it seemed the Dr's speaking on behalf of the AMA were saying but yes, American politics is confusing, I agree.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

but when the pharma, union & other lobbiest write the bills in harry & nancy's offices....its wrong

I see. It's only right when the lobbyists write the bills in Tom and Bill's office.