SP wrote that he had been ambivalent and confused about recent ama performance. But upon reading the ama hsr bulletin, he has decided to remit his ama dues. Below is an excerpt from that bulletin that clarifies ama position on the upcoming House-Senate Conference Committee, the committee that will craft the final hsr bill for the president to enact.
"The AMA has made it clear to senior White House staff, the Senate leadership and the House leadership that its support for a House-Senate conference agreement is contingent upon:
- Movement on a clear pathway for passage of legislation to permanently repeal the SGR by the end of February
- Modifications of the proposed Independent Payment Advisory Board
- Refinements of the quality improvement and Medicare data release provisions
- No new major problematic provisions surfacing in conference
While there were some earlier reports about efforts to circumvent the House-Senate conference committee process, recent statements from the House leadership indicate that the House will not take the Senate bill as is or with minor changes. As noted earlier, the House bill does not include an Independent Payment Advisory Board, and 53 House members signed a letter objecting to that concept.
The AMA's strategy of constructively working for changes at each stage of the process has put it in a position to have significant influence in the House-Senate conference committee negotiations. The AMA retains the ability to withhold support for a conference committee agreement if it fails to achieve our priority objectives.
We still have not seen the final bill that the president hopes to sign into law. The AMA will be actively engaged throughout the conference committee negotiations to positively influence the key issues for medicine."
Here's where, finally, the AMA finds exactly at which table the seat is located. Predicition - the Kiddie Table. After all, To Serve Man - It's a Cookbook.
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