1. Our AMA will continue its efforts to ensure that health system reform proposals adhere to the following principles:

A. Physicians maintain primary ethical responsibility to advocate for their patients’ interests and needs.

B. Unfair concentration of market power of payers is detrimental to patients and physicians, if patient freedom of choice or physician ability to select mode of practice is limited or denied. Single-payer systems clearly fall within such a definition and, consequently, should continue to be opposed by the AMA. Reform proposals should balance fairly the market power between payers and physicians or be opposed.

C. All health system reform proposals should include a valid estimate of implementation cost, based on all health care expenditures to be included in the reform; and supports the concept that all health system reform proposals should identify specifically what means of funding (including employer-mandated funding, general taxation, payroll or value-added taxation) will be used to pay for the reform proposal and what the impact will be.

D. All physicians participating in managed care plans and medical delivery systems must be able without threat of punitive action to comment on and present their positions on the plan’s policies and procedures for medical review, quality assurance, grievance procedures, credentialing criteria, and other financial and administrative matters, including physician representation on the governing board and key committees of the plan.

E. Any national legislation for health system reform should include sufficient and continuing financial support for inner-city and rural hospitals, community health centers, clinics, special programs for special populations and other essential public health facilities that serve underserved populations that otherwise lack the financial means to pay for their health care.

F. Health system reform proposals and ultimate legislation should result in adequate resources to enable medical schools and residency programs to produce an adequate supply and appropriate generalist/specialist mix of physicians to deliver patient care in a reformed health care system.

G. All civilian federal government employees, including Congress and the Administration, should be covered by any health care delivery system passed by Congress and signed by the President.

H. True health reform is impossible without true tort reform.

2. Our AMA supports health care reform that meets the needs of all Americans including people with injuries, congenital or acquired disabilities, and chronic conditions, and as such values function and its improvement as key outcomes to be specifically included in national health care reform legislation.

3. Our AMA supports health care reform that meets the needs of all Americans including people with mental illness and substance use / addiction disorders and will advocate for the inclusion of full parity for the treatment of mental illness and substance use / addiction disorders in all national health care reform legislation.

4. Our AMA supports health system reform alternatives that are consistent with AMA principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of practice, and universal access for patients.

 

Policy Timeline

Res. 118, I-91 Res. 102, I-92 BOT Rep. NN, I-92 BOT Rep. S, A-93 Reaffirmed: Res. 135, A-93 Reaffirmed: BOT Reps. 25 and 40, I-93 Reaffirmed in lieu of Res. 714, I-93 Res. 130, I-93 Res. 316, I-93 Sub. Res. 718, I-93 Reaffirmed: CMS Rep. 5, I-93 Res. 124, A-94 Reaffirmed by BOT Rep.1- I-94 CEJA Rep. 3, A-95 Reaffirmed: BOT Rep. 34, I-95 Reaffirmation A-00 Reaffirmation A-01 Reaffirmed: CMS Rep. 10, A-03 Reaffirmed: CME Rep. 2, A-03 Reaffirmed and Modified: CMS Rep. 5, A-04 Reaffirmed with change in title: CEJA Rep. 2, A-05 Consolidated: CMS Rep. 7, I-05 Reaffirmation I-07 Reaffirmed in lieu of Res. 113, A-08 Reaffirmation A-09 Res. 101, A-09 Sub. Res. 110, A-09 Res. 123, A-09 Reaffirmed in lieu of Res. 120, A-12 Reaffirmation: A-17