Health-care reform debate heats up
AMA comes out against public insurance plan
The American Medical Association says it will oppose the creation of a government-sponsored health insurance plan that President Barack Obama and many Democrats see as essential for health-care reform, writes reporter Robert Pear in today’s New York Times:
“…in comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said: “The A.M.A. 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. 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.’”
“‘If private insurers are pushed out of the market, the group said, “the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.’”
President Obama will address the AMA’s annual meeting next Monday, June 15.
To learn more:
- Visit the AMA’s Web page.
- Read Robert Pear’s article: Doctors’ group opposes public insurance plan.
AMA has long history of opposing health reform, critics say
In the 1950s and 60s, the American Medical Association also opposed legislation that led to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, critics of the group point out, hiring the then actor Ronald Reagan to take their case to the public.
To learn more:
- Read Ezra Klein’s blog in the Washington Post.
Health-care reform overview
The Seattle Times has reprinted a full-page, graphic-rich “snapshot” of the U.S. health system that nicely depicts the problems threatening the system and the remedies that are being proposed.
The page was prepared by the Washington Post’s health reporter Ceci Connolly and graphic artist Laura Stanton.
The graphics track the rapid rise in the nation’s health-care spending over the past several decades and show the projected growth through 2018 when total costs are expected to reach $4.4 trillion, show where the money comes from and where it goes, and displays various strategies being propsed to control costs, improve quality and to cover the uninsured.
To learn more:
- View the PDF: The nation’s search for health-care cure.
Local resources:
- Code Blue Now!: www.codebluenow.org
- Community Health Network of Washington: www.chnwa.org
- Healthy Washington Coalition: www.healthywacoalition.org
- Physicians for a National Health Plan: www.pnhpwesternwashington.org
- Washington Health Foundation: www.whf.org
- Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility: www.wpsr.org
- Washington Policy Center: www.washingtonpolicy.org
- Washington Research Council: www.researchcouncil.org
- Washington Rural Health Association: www.wrha.com
- Washington State Hospital Association: www.wsha.org
- Washington State Biomedical Association: www.bmet.org
- Washington State Dental Association: www.wsda.org
- Washington State Medical Association: www.wsma.org
- Washington State Nurses Association: www.wsna.org
- Washington State Pharmacy Association: www.wsparx.org
- Washington State Psychiatry Association: www.wapsychiatry.org
- Washington State Psychology Association: www.wapsych.org
- Washington State Public Health Association: www.wspha.org
Related posts:
- Health reform debate in the news
- Americans skimping on health care due to costs, support for health care reform strong – poll finds
- Obama is right: We can’t afford to wait on health care reform – Guest Columnist
- What will health reform do for me? – Opinion
- Costs lead six in ten Americans to delay or skip care, poll finds, six in ten want health reform now
