AMA to President Obama and Congress – The Stage is Set for Meaningful Reform – We Must Seize It.

In preparation for this evening’s speech from the President the American Medical Association (AMA) President J. James Rohack, M.D has sent the President and Congress a letter stating their objectives in the healthcare reform debate and encouraging congress to work their way through healthcare reform. 

"Our elected leaders need to approach the health-reform debate with a renewed focus on what matters most – health coverage for all Americans as well as providing stability and security for Americans that currently are insured, including Medicare patients," said Dr. Rohack.

In his letter, Dr. Rohack outlines seven critical elements the AMA has identified as necessary to improve access to affordable, quality care and reduce unnecessary costs in the current system:

· Health-insurance coverage for all Americans

· Insurance market reforms that expand choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials for pre-existing conditions

· Assurance that health-care decisions will remain in the hands of patients and their physicians, not insurance companies or government officials

· Investments and incentives for quality improvement, prevention and wellness initiatives

· Repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula that would trigger steep cuts and threaten seniors’ access to care

· Implementation of medical liability reforms to reduce the cost of defensive medicine

· Streamlining and standardizing of insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens

 "We have already seen physicians, patients and policymakers find common ground on ideas that offer real improvements," said Dr. Rohack. "The stage is now set for meaningful reform and we must seize it."

Given the mood in congress it would take a miracle for medical liability reforms to be added to the legislation.   They have outlined some very achievable goals.  It wil be interesting to hear how much of this addressed by the Presidents and Congress.