AMA's on board

[fff]

American Medical Association Endorses House Health Care Bill:

This legislation includes a broad range of provisions that are key to effective, comprehensive health system reform. We urge members of the House Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means Committees to favorably report H.R. 3200 for consideration by the full House.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2009/07/letter-from-ama-to-chairman-rangel-supporting-house-health-care-reform-bill.php?page=1

 

[Mike]

WSJ-In a letter delivered to House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, the doctors' group expressed "appreciation and support" for the bill. Among other things, the AMA welcomed a provision that would put in place a new formula for payments to doctors under Medicare, avoiding deep cuts scheduled to take place next year and in future years.

Wonder how much this endorsement will wind up costing us? :roll:

 

[TexasBred]

The key to the AMA's backing of the House bill is that the legislation would permanently fix the Medicare payment system for physicians, which annually calculates that their rates should be reduced. In 2010, the current formula would cut physician fees by 21 percent.
President Obama spoke at the AMA's annual meeting last month and has tried to court the powerful group, which played a key role in stamping out previous attempts at comprehensive healthcare reform.

An endorsement of the House bill does not necessarily translate into the AMA's full, unquestioning support for the Democratic healthcare reform campaign, however.

The AMA's support for the House bill also sends an unmistakable signal to the Senate, which is not considering enacting permanent reforms to Medicare's payment rate formula, about what it takes to win the group's backing.