President Obama will make his case for health system reform Monday when he addresses the annual American Medical Association meeting in Chicago. It may be tough sell, though.
TMA will live blog the president’s speech on Blogged Arteries.
In comments to the Senate Finance Committee on May 11, the AMA says it "does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs across the health care system. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans. In an effort to keep public plan costs low, it is likely that a public plan would receive special advantages and government subsidies that would not be available to private insurers. Rather than stimulating competition among insurers and strengthening the health insurance market overall, the competitive advantage of a public plan would be so great that many private insurers would be pushed out of the market entirely. A crowd-out of private insurers and the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers."
One month later, AMA issued a statement that it "opposes any public plan that forces physicians to participate, expands the fiscally-challenged Medicare program or pays Medicare rates, but the AMA is willing to consider other variations of a public plan that are currently under discussion in Congress. This includes a federally chartered co-op health plan or a level playing field option for all plans. The AMA is working to achieve meaningful health reform this year and is ready to stand behind legislation that includes coverage options that work for patients and physicians."
Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the president will start his AMA speech "with the recognition that the health care system status quo is unsustainable, and he’ll outline the case for reform. He’ll make clear why we can’t afford to wait another year, or another administration, to bring down costs that are crushing families, businesses, and government." Mr. Gibbs added that President Obama "will discuss the reasons why past efforts have failed, and he’ll address the consequences of failing to act this year. He’ll lay out plainly what health reform will mean for American families and their doctors – and what it won’t."
AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, said the president's speech "shows that he values the input of those who dedicate their lives to caring for patients. We have a historic opportunity for health-care reform this year, and the AMA is committed to improving the system so that it works better for patients and physicians."
She said the AMA "is actively working for health reform that covers the uninsured, makes private insurance more affordable, increases the value our nation receives from its health-care spending and enhances prevention and wellness for patients.”
Dr. Nielsen said the growth rate in health care spending must be cut and that AMA has pledged to the president that the medical profession "would reduce unnecessary costs by focusing on quality improvements, such as developing best practices for care and improving medication reconciliation."
She concluded that for physicians to focus on patient care, health reform that covers the uninsured must also include permanent Medicare payment reform, antitrust relief and medical liability protections.
TMA has prepared for health system reform by developing a set of guiding principles it will follow during the debate.
The last time a sitting president addressed the AMA House of Delegates was when Ronald Reagan spoke to the group in 1983.
Last Published: 6/11/2009
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