AMNews: June 29, 2009. AMA meeting: AMA reaffirms stance in health system reform debate ... American Medical News

AMNews: June 29, 2009. AMA meeting: AMA reaffirms stance in health system reform debate ... American Medical News:

"Chicago -- Addressing what has become the hottest flashpoint in this year's health system reform debate, the American Medical Association House of Delegates at its Annual Meeting in June renewed its existing reform policies rather than declare a position on whether lawmakers should establish a new national federal health insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.

"Delegates agreed that the AMA should 'support health system reform alternatives that are consistent with AMA principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of practice and universal access for patients.'

"Both supporters and opponents of the public plan concept wanted the Association to take a definitive stand on the issue. But after AMA Immediate Past President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, warned that such a move could handicap the organization as it tries to influence the health reform debate, delegates backed away from those resolutions.

"Dr. Nielsen said the resolution that ultimately passed would allow her and AMA President J. James Rohack, MD, to keep the AMA engaged in the debate without restriction but with a clear directive to advocate for choice for both physicians and patients."

An encouraging sign for progressives at the AMA House of Delegates. I am pleased to be wrong in expecting the conservatives to win the day and the resolution that passed gives wiggle room to the AMA leadership.

It is worth pointing out that there will be much struggle throughout this process. AMA policy language stands largely against any reforms leading to any expanded role for government in health care and specifically declares that an "Unfair concentration of market power of payers is detrimental to patients and physicians," and labels single payer as such and calls for continued opposition by the AMA.

Interestingly enough, however, the AMA has endorsed the principles of Medical Professionalism of the ABIM, ACP-ASIM and European Federation of Medicine. This Charter unequivocally advocates the physicians role in promoting social justice, fair distribution of finite resources and promoting fair access to care.

I am sure my conservative colleagues would argue that this can all be achieved by a more libertarian/Randian approach to health care, but I think, finally, that the number who believe that is growing smaller by the week.

Certainly polls indicate that most physicians now recognize that our system is broken and that the cure is not rearranging the deck chairs on this sinking ship and clinging to a heyday that hasn't offered us or our patients much "hey."

Sphere: Related Content