Discord Within the AMA

By Rachel Stockton 

On Thursday, President Obama made the announcement that both AARP and the American Medical Association have endorsed his health care bill.

The AARP endorsement is huge; seniors throughout the country have been concerned about how the bill will affect Medicare.  Obama is counting on the fact that even though some seniors may not trust the government, they will trust the AARP.  He further added that the group understands that the bill will enhance, rather than jeopardize, Medicare.

The AMA endorsement, however, isn’t so “neat.”  Several weeks ago, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee cryptically and euphemistically accused the government of trying (and succeeding) to “buy” an AMA endorsement, likening the “deal” to prostitution.

Corker and other Republicans are infuriated at the government’s promise to “adjust” the Medicare formula so that doctors will get a higher cut, which will add to the already abysmally high deficit.  Corker was quick to point out that his disapproval of the formula change didn’t mean that he thought physicians should be subjected to the deep cuts that will happen if Congress does nothing to address them.

The AMA president-elect, Cecil Wilson, shot back and suggested that Mr. Corker is out of touch with the reality of the situation, accusing those who do not vote for the bill of S.1776 of undermining the quality of and access to healthcare for his TN constituents.  Both, he stated, will be “further eroded by steep Medicare cuts to physicians (New York Times).”

Then, a little over a week later FOX News reported that some members of the AMA are outraged by the endorsement because there was no organized consensus among the Association’s House of Delegates.  Next week, the House of Delegates will vote on a bill that, if passed, will force the organization to  withdraw the endorsement.