American Medical Association

I wrote this letter because the AMA did not represent my viewpoint nor that of many of my fellow physicians. The AMA represents only 1/4 of the doctors in the U.S. Now it will have one less member. I would think that the officers would take a poll of its' members before making statements such as quoted in the news article. There are other untruths in the Times article that I didn't memtion in the interest of brevity. If you read my blogs and letters to the editors, you will understand how angry I am!

www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/us/politics/11health.html

Re: New York Times article, “Doctor’s Group Opposes Public Health Insurance Plan.”
As a family physician and member of the American Medical Association for nearly fifty years I was angry and offended by this report that the AMA opposes a public health insurance plan. The association stated that health services “should be provided through private markets, as they are currently.”
The association also said it: “does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health coverage and lower costs.”
I couldn’t disagree more. I don’t believe that I’m the only member of the AMA who feels that way. Medicare has always been good for my senior patients. Many of them would have had no health insurance if there were no Medicare, so as a doctor, I’ve also benefited from this government program.
The president of the AMA opposed, “government control of health care decisions or mandatory physician participation in any insurance plan.” Does the AMA think that 47 million Americans without health insurance is a better plan? I remind her that the private health insurance industry controls decision now, by refusing to pay for many tests, procedures and prior existing conditions.
I guess it’s time for me to resign from the AMA.

Melvin H Kirschner, MPH, MD