A growing disillusionment of the membership is leading the county medical societies to define a position on hr 3200. Several county and state medical societies have adopted a position to oppose the ama hr 3200 strategy.
But more than one county has positioned itself neither embracing nor condemning one side of the issue or the other.
One such county president, when asked how this position was developed, said,” I realized that solving national health reform was not our local job! We’re ... preparing to help our members deal with the fallout. “
Instead, their role is to keep the membership informed. This mission is vital and distinct from the national and state omnibus societies. This position avoids the alienation of an entire sector of the membership.
There wouldn't be such consternation had the AMA taken a more aggressive stance. It seems that Pharma has made a deal. According to Business Week, the Insurers are big winners. So that leaves, once again, the doctors and their patients. No meaningful tort reform means no health care reform.
ReplyDeletehere's the link to which you refer. however, most everything else in the press seems to vilify the insurers.
ReplyDeletebe mindful that most (non-physician) observers point to 'pharma or the doctors as the big winners'. it is this perception is important to consider when one devises a strategy.
http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/09_33/b4143034820260.htm
The only area of consensus I see is on Tort Reform. Unfortunately, there's no meaningful med mal reform on the table. As it stands now, we'll have increased government bureaucracy, unfunded mandates and ultimately, decreasing payments to cover margins. As far as I'm concerned, Health care reform without meaningful med mal reform is a defeat - for doctors and for all Americans. And that is NOT reform.
ReplyDeleteNothing on the table? Is the ABA overreacting?
ReplyDeleteABA Opposes Medical Malpractice and Other Amendments in H.R. 3200
On July 29, 2009, the ABA sent a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce opposing amendments in H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, to pre-empt a portion of the state’s medical liability laws and to create “health courts” in which medical liability cases would be removed on a mandatory basis from the state court system.
http://www.abanet.org/poladv/letters/healthlaw/2009jul29_medmalh_l.pdf
i am pleased to report that my county society has issued a release (to our members) that explains a bit about the health care debate and states clearly that there are physicians on all sides of the issue.
ReplyDeletethe county did not endorse one side or another but has positioned itself to listen and to convey information between the members, elected officials and the medical societies.
i am pleased that our county president (and our past president), who hails from a specialty whose specialty societies have opposed hr 3200, have the temperance to lead the county society in this most effective manner
cr
here's our link
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scms-sam.org/index3.html
cr