[rlmorel]

"...A frequent question posed by the opponents of this policy was where are the doctors in this debate..."

They are all working...

[Ditter]

My doctor informed me that he is for Obamacare. I am looking for a new doctor, I no longer trust his judgment. If anyone in Houston has an Internist that they would like to recommend I am taking suggestions.

[ChessExpert]

It was assumed that the American Medical Association (AMA) provided the platform for doctors to air their views. It came as a shock to most people when it was revealed that this was not the case, and in fact, only 17% of all doctors were members.

Only 17% of doctors are in the AMA. Wow.

It is easy to assume that the AMA IS American medicine. I suppose that is like assuming that NOW is the actually the national association of women - not just in name, but in fact. I read once that the Concerned Women for America has far more members than NOW. It's a conservative women's group: http://www.cwfa.org .

There are medical associations other than the AMA. I read the accusation that the AMA came to dominance after they and the pharmaceutical companies cozied up to one another, and this marriage leads to suboptimal health maintenance and care today. Aside from that, I believe that large loves large. Big business, big medicine, big labor, even big religion, all get along with big government and vice versa. It works out well for the leadership. It does not work out so well for the rank and file. Unaffiliated individuals really get screwed.

[ChessExpert]

Here's something from the article that I would like to understand better:

To compound the problem, the AMA betrayed the very people that it was ostensibly meant to represent. This was to protect its $100M medical coding franchise that the federal government grants the AMA as the basis by which doctors and hospitals get by paid insurance companies and the federal government -- a major incentive for the group to endorse state-run medicine. (emphasis added)

Can anyone explain the "$100M medical coding franchise that the federal government grants the AMA"?