English
Jun
21
AMA Reaffirms Support for ObamaCare
Posted on Jun 21, 2011 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
In a move sure to reignite debate over upcoming US health system changes, The American Medical Association (AMA) on Monday publically reaffirmed its support for the individual mandate, the most contentious provision of the Obama Administration's Healthcare Reform Law. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) nearly all American citizens must carry health insurance starting in 2014 or else face a fine. These measures have been brought about to combat the rising number of US citizens who remain uninsured and the disparity of medical services and health outcomes in America that are widening along income lines. The federal law will require that the general public have insurance policies which meet certain minimum benchmarks, more sufficient than basic catastrophic coverage and preventive services. This individual mandate is currently facing legal challenges in 26 states which contend that the United States government cannot compel its citizens to engage in such commerce. Two federal courts have already ruled that the mandate violates the Constitution, and the US Supreme Court is ultimately expected to decide upon the issue soon. At the AMA annual policy-making meeting in Chicago over the weekend, the nation's largest doctors' group held an extensive discussion on whether to continue its longstanding support for, in the association's own parlance, 'individual responsibility.' The AMA has held an independent 'individual responsibility' position for almost a decade and has seen it become a source of division within the association. The AMA policy would require individuals or families earning over 5 times the federal poverty level to purchase insurance that covers, at a minimum, preventative healthcare and catastrophe coverage. US citizens who cannot afford insurance would get assistance in the form of tax credits. The AMA's House of Delegates spent all of Sunday debating the issue and on Monday voted 326 to 165, about a two-thirds majority, to uphold their commitment to individual responsibility health insurance policies. The House also reaffirmed its stance on AMA policy supporting health insurance tax credits, savings accounts, and direct subsidies towards the coverage of higher risk patients. While the AMA does not use the same language as the healthcare reform law, or use the term 'individual mandate' in its policy position, this decision will be interpreted as valuable support for the Obama Administration's near-universal health insurance plan. An alternative resolution, brought forth by several participating state and surgical societies, intended to overturn the AMA's policy and replace it with increased tax breaks and other non-compulsory incentives to encourage health insurance spending, was rejected; as were measures that would have shifted more responsibility to individual states. Opposing doctors have been adamant that mandates requiring everyone purchase insurance are unconstitutional, unnecessary, and represent unreasonable government intrusion in the healthcare industry. They also believe the mandate is in violation of AMA's core principles: supporting freedom of choice, free-market economics, and preserving the physician-patient relationship. In addition to ideologically opposing the reform, AMA members and delegates who have spoken out against the individual mandate argue that the association's continued support of the healthcare reform law fractures the organization. Delegates have pointed to this "fracturing" as being a prime contributor to the abrupt decline in the group's membership that has occurred since the ruling passed in 2010, with some 12,000 doctors reportedly leaving in the past year. Those who have remained in favor of the individual mandate, and the AMA's current position, assert that without the requirement to carry health insurance numerous Americans would not purchase it, and their medical costs would be passed on to others if they ever have to get substantial medical treatment, resulting in higher premiums for all. Furthermore, without the individual mandate the entire ACA law, which is expected to deliver many positive health outcomes for the US, will become toothless. Proponents argue that vital insurance market reforms, such as ending denials of coverage due pre-existing conditions, would only be made possible through increased participation in the health insurance market. Encouraging more US citizens to buy plans from private insurance companies (excluding those qualified for Medicaid or Medicare), in fact bolsters the AMA's stance of free market competition in healthcare. AMA President Cecil B Wilson, summarized the group's deliberations: "The AMA has a strong policy in support of covering the uninsured, and we have renewed our commitment to achieving this through individual responsibility for health insurance, with assistance for those who need it," Dr. Wilson added that the AMA had extensively reviewed other policy options and ultimately concluded that without an "individual responsibility for health insurance" a realistic healthcare reform approach "cannot be fully successful in covering the uninsured." He further believed that the "overwhelming nature" of the decision to uphold an individual mandate would keep the issue from resurfacing at AMA functions. "I would be surprised if this comes up again in the near future," Dr. Wilson concluded. Company Mentioned The American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest physician organization in the United States and plays a key role working on the most important professional, public health and health policy issues facing the world. The AMA was founded in 1847 to establish a code of medical ethics and today has some 228,000 members.