by Kim Geiger
The American Medical Association today announced its support for the healthcare bill, despite some elements and omissions from the bill that have unsettled the doctors' lobby.
"The pending bill is imperfect, but we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good," said AMA President Dr. James Rohack, in a conference call with reporters. "Key to our deliberations on this legislation was the fundamental fact that the status quo is simply not acceptable."
Rohack called the pending action on healthcare, "an opportunity that we are not likely to see again for at least a decade," and said that under the bill, "the patient-physician relationship is protected."
Rohack said the AMA was pleased that the bill would extend coverage to millions of Americans, provide investment for quality and wellness, and reduce administrative burdens.
The AMA isn't so pleased with the creation of an independent payment board that would have jurisdiction over Medicare spending. Rohack said the board "could result in misguided payment cuts."
The association also is pressuring Congress to pass a separate bill to repeal the formula that has caused a looming 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors. The House had included in an earlier version of healthcare legislation a provision to address this issue - nicknamed the 'doc fix,' - but the fix isn't in the final bill. (It carried a price tag of nearly $250 billion.)
"We will hold Congress's feet to the fire on getting that done before this Congress adjourns," Rohack said.
Comments
Any minute now, the Wingnut rubes will show up on here and start calling the AMA a Commie/Socialist/Fascist/Nazi group that wants to kill Granny...
5.....4.....3.....2...1..Ding Ding Ding!
Posted by: HHH | March 19, 2010 2:59 PM
Perhaps this is why so many doctors are dropping their membership in the AMA.
It's sort of like the AARP. Why contnue to support lobbying group that is supposed to look out for the welfare of the elderly and yet aligns itself with the left wing, progressive, no, nut cases who are in effect selling out the seasoned citizens in the name of healthcare "reform."
Those of us who qualify have military organizations to which we belong that offer far better incentives and services than the AARP and they lobby FOR ALL seniors and not ON BEHALF one certain political ideology.
Posted by: Oak Park Lefty | March 19, 2010 3:15 PM
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Perhaps this is why so many doctors are dropping their membership in the AMA.It's sort of like the AARP.
Posted by: Oak Park Lefty | March 19, 2010 3:15 PM
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Yes, of course Bobby's Mommy,
Nevermind the fact that you don't have one bit of PROOF to back up this right wing lunatic fringe fantasy of yours.....it must be true, because you heard it from Crazy Glenn Beck!
Posted by: HHH | March 19, 2010 3:28 PM
CBO Admits: We Can't Tell if the Stimulus Failed
The CBO issued a report last month claiming that the massive Obama stimulus boondoggle "created or saved" millions of jobs. This report was much-ballyhooed in Left-wing circles as proof that this massive Keynesian injection into the American economy was working great.
It turns out that's not exactly the case. The CBO released said report, but recently director Doug Elmendorf admitted that his models pre-assume the conclusion. At a question-and-answer forum, he was asked directly if the CBO's models would be able to tell if the stimulus failed. Backed into a corner, Director Elmendorf answered simply: "no."
This is a stunning admission from one of the premier budget analysts in the country. The CBO's model pre-assumes that the stimulus works. They then run the model and declare that the stimulus is working. These results are worthless.
There are other, private and independent analyses of the stimulus that may be worth something. But the CBO's is no longer one of them.
http://townhall.com/blog/g/372b1ab4-de1d-43fd-b309-183c002a5f11
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | March 19, 2010 4:07 PM
Less than 30% of the doctors in the US are members of the AMA. As mentioned earlier, AMA is losing members, based on the "leadership's" political directions.
Just as AARP does not represent the majority of the retired American citizens, AMA does not represent American medical doctors.
Posted by: Steve Lobber | March 19, 2010 5:00 PM
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CBO Admits: We Can't Tell if the Stimulus Failed
The CBO issued a report last month claiming that the massive Obama stimulus boondoggle "created or saved" millions of jobs. This report was much-ballyhooed in Left-wing circles as proof that this massive Keynesian injection into the American economy was working great.
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | March 19, 2010 4:07 PM
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Blah Blah Blah, we can always depend on Bobby's Mommy here to carry water for the Right Noise Machine with updates on their most recent lies.
People, you'd think that leading up to this most highly charged political vote since I don't know when, the right wing media types would be particularly careful when reporting on outrageous partisan political claims. You'd think wrong.
DEM CBO MEMO = GOP HOAX
"Late Update: I asked House Minority Leader John Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel, who sent reporters the memo this afternoon after the Politico item was posted, about the accusation. Here's his response: "The underlying fact is the Democratic leadership is going to move a doc fix, they are going to spend another $300 billion. If not, why did AMA endorse the bill?"
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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/health-care-wars-on-capitol-hill-as-dems-cry-doc-fix-memo-is-a-fake.php
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Notice how Boehenr doesn't dispute the accusation? While Politico should be chastised for their lack of journalistic standards (though we've all come to expect these "standards" from them) this is really about the GOP and their usual lies and propaganda.
Posted by: HHH | March 19, 2010 5:36 PM
The bureacrats and convention goers at the AMA endorse the bill. Meanwhile, those doctors that actually work for a living are considering a different line of work.
http://www.investors.com/newsandanalysis/article.aspx?id=506199
Posted by: Terry | March 19, 2010 10:14 PM
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Meanwhile, those doctors that actually work for a living are considering a different line of work.
Posted by: Terry | March 19, 2010 10:14 PM
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Yes, because we all know that doctors who don't agree with Poser Terry politically obviously don't work for a living.....not.
Still doing the dirty work for the angry white right wing rich guys, while still believing the fairytale that their wealth will rub off on you and you'll wake up one morning and find millions of dollars under your pillow from the Grover Norquist tooth fairy, huh Poser?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVEaE5yxuk8
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Posted by: HHH | March 19, 2010 11:38 PM
Trickled On HoHoHo,
Doing the work of the working American and their children that will pay for this trainwreck.
Hey Beavis, are you doing the work of the unemployed 30 yaer olds still living in mummy and daddy's basement?
Posted by: Terry | March 20, 2010 9:42 AM
Wow! does that mean all 10 members vote "Yes". Of course most people really don't understand that the number of doctors that belong to the AMA is small in comparison to the number of doctors who do not belong.
Posted by: Paul | March 20, 2010 10:56 AM
Before there was "health insurance" Doctors took their pay from the those who could afford it, took what they could from those who were struggling, and offered free services for the poor. Being a doctor used to be a humanitarian profession. Until the corruption and scam of insurance got in the way. Now, people become doctors for the $$$$$. Not to help people.
Health care should NOT be FOR profit. It didn't used to be.
Posted by: syj | March 20, 2010 12:43 PM