Jun 20, 2011

At the annual American Medical Association’s House of Delegates meeting in Chicago, the delegates reaffirmed the AMA’s support for the linchpin of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by a vote of 326-165.

The AMA calls it “individual responsibility.” But it means the individual insurance mandate. An amendment to allow the states to choose whether to impose a mandate was soundly defeated.

Numerous physicians spoke passionately and eloquently against the mandate, referring to constitutionality challenges, freedom issues, and the opposition of physicians and numerous medical organizations. The AMA admits to having lost 12,000 members since 2009, many because of the AMA’s endorsement of PPACA.

“The AMA has turned 180 degrees since the 1950s, when it held that ‘the voluntary way is the American way,’” stated Jane Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). “Now it has adopted the ‘progressive’ left-wing stance of calling for compulsory purchase of government-prescribed insurance.”

Individuals will no longer be able to choose for themselves how to pay their medical bills. Many might choose the most affordable way: self-payment of most bills, with low-cost, high-deductible insurance for the rare catastrophe.

“But that choice would deprive the government’s favored plans of some fat premiums,” Dr. Orient noted.

As AAPS has pointed out in pending litigation, PPACA itself created the problem that the individual mandate is supposed to solve. By forcing insurers to accept all comers at a fixed rate, PPACA shields individuals from having to take responsibility for the consequences of not buying insurance until they expect to make claims on it.

Supporters of the mandate, with its penalties, argued that it is necessary for assuring coverage, which apparently trumps liberty.

AAPS, which represents physicians in all specialties nationwide, was founded in 1943 to promote private medicine and the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship. http://www.aapsonline.org AAPS advocates free-market solutions to medical financing problems, rather than central planning and increased government control.

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AMA Fractured, Leftists on Top, Private Doctors Say

Despite vocal opposition at its House of Delegates meeting, American Medical Association delegates voted 326-125 to retain support for the individual mandate to purchase a government-controlled health insurance plan.

The majority of delegates were unconcerned about the serious Constitutional questions raised by Federal courts, or about the continued disapproval of a majority of Americans (53% favor repeal in Rasmussen survey).

Supporters of the mandate framed the issue in terms of “millions” who would allegedly “lose coverage” if Americans with an income above a certain level weren’t required to buy a costly government-prescribed comprehensive policy.

Physicians and patients across the country, however, are concerned that mandatory insurance may merely grant access to a waiting line, not to actual care.

"Patients should not be forced to buy a product that they don't want and may not cover the medical care they actually need, when they need it," said Dr. Jane Orient of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).

In contrast to the AMA, AAPS promotes a return to true free-market principles in our medical system in order to increase quality, decrease costs, increase access to care, and preserve the patient-physician relationship.

AAPS acknowledges that there are serious problems in financing medical care, but states these do not result from “market failure.” On the contrary, “a true free market in medicine has not existed for more than 50 years,” states Dr. Orient.

“Freedom works, and it is also the moral answer,” she stated. “Socialism has failed over and over again, and always involves the immoral use of coercion.”

Separately the House of Delegates passed a motion to support a repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IIPAB) section of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or “ObamaCare”) and to change PPACA to conform with AMA policy.

In addition, the AMA released the news that it has lost 12,000 dues-paying members since 2009. Some delegates objected to placing concerns about membership ahead of achieving more “coverage.”

AAPS thanks the courageous physicians speaking out at the AMA HoD against the ObamaCare mandate, including: Donald Palmisano, MD; Leah McCormack, MD; David McKalip, MD; Marcy Zwelling, MD; Richard Warner, MD; and many others!

For an insight into the debate at the AMA meeting read the AMA meeting Twitter feed #AMAmtg at http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23amamtg.