Posted on 07/02/2009 10:21:38 PM PDT by greatdefender
The new president of the American Medical Association, which represents the interests of the nation's doctors, said Wednesday the group is open to a government-funded health insurance option for people without coverage.
Dr. J. James Rohack told CNN the AMA supports an "American model" that includes both "a private system and a public system, working together."
In May, the AMA told a Senate committee it did not support a government-sponsored public health insurance option.
"The AMA does not believe that creating a public health insurance option ... is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs across the health care system," the organization wrote, explaining that a public insurance plan could lead to "an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers."
Rohack, who recently became AMA president, suggested Wednesday that the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program available to Congress members and other federal employees could be expanded as a public option. That would avoid having to create a new program from scratch, he said.
"If it's good enough for Congress, why shouldn't it be good enough for individuals who don't have health insurance provided by their employers?" Rohack said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
*snort* I wonder what the Congressmen and women thought about THAT idea.
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=BRYAN&st=TX&last=Rohack&first=james
Wouldn’t it just be easier, and cheaper to give the uninsured vouchers for their health insurance? I mean, isn’t that what this is all about? Insuring the uninsured?
They can mail it along with their welfare check. Those filing for unemployment can collect it when they file. It could only be cashed with a private insurance provider. Redirect the money from Medicare/Medicaid into the voucher program. Additional cost could be absorbed with across the board cuts in discretionary spending and savings from the administrative cost associated with Medicare/Medicaid.
Doesn’t that sound like a reasonable option? Why make it so complicated and more expensive by involving a bunch of Government bureaucrats?
The American Medical Association no more represents the interests of the nation's doctors than the American Bar Association represents the interests of the nation's lawyers or the National Council of Churches represents the interests of the nation's Christians. Nevertheless, partly because they have been thoroughly penetrated and suborned by liberals, these organizations are put to us by the media as the legitimate public faces of these Americans. We will see more and more of this as more and more institutions are suborned by Obama, those that are not outright intimidated- like bondholders.
We have seen how tamely America's great automobile manufacturers have bent knee. Wal-Mart has recently followed General Electric in bleating the administration's siren song.
Those of you who think Cap and Trade is dead on arrival ought to consider these migrations. Every day that passes moves more of our institutions into the ranks of the socialists.
Um, shouldn’t that be “TAXPAYER-funded”?
This is why I am not a member of the AMA.
It's a U.S. TAXPAYER funded health insurance option. These AMA boys must be a lot dumber than they look.
Does the good doctor not realize that public option inevitably leads to socialized medicine?
Once the government “option” squeezes out private insurers, driving private rates though the roof, government will have to step in to help the poor peeples. To keep doctor fees “affordable” for the poor peeples, Congress will reduce ordinary doctor fees as they already have with Medicare. Then, to make fees even cheaper, shall we say free, they will require doctors to become bureaucrats. The doctors will become 9-5 drones working for a giant health care agency like in Britain.
Do these AMA idiots really want that? How many doctors, other than military or researchers, really want to work for a bureaucracy? There goes the Mercedes, private schools and country clubs.
Heaven spare us from the Washington lobbyists.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.