How Did the AMA Get Such a Sweet Deal in Health Reform?

The American Medical Association has opposed health care reform many times in the past but has now emerged as one of the strongest proponents of President Obama's efforts. Critics say this came at way too high of a price, considering that the group that represents America's doctors got the best deal out of any of the interest groups that have unleashed their lobbyists in Washington. The government has agreed to stop planned cuts in Medicare payments that are worth $228 billion over 10 years, plus the proposal that would require everyone to have health insurance would include premium subsidies to pay for doctor bills. Unlike other industries, the AMA really didn't have to make any concessions to obtain the goodies from the government. "They were bought off," one health policy expert said. "And the price tag was $228 billion." Meanwhile, in other health care reform news, the Washington Post wonders whether it would be possible for the government to force people to buy insurance without hurting millions of middle-class Americans. The chairman of the Senate finance committee vowed to write a health-reform bill that would address a number of GOP concerns, but affordability remains a contentious issue for members of both parties. Although Democrats have proposed helping less-well-off families pay for the insurance, offering more help means the cost of the bill would pass the $1 trillion mark. But some estimate that under the current plan, millions of American could end up paying as much as 13 percent of their income on insurance premiums. "We're talking about the equivalent of a middle-class tax increase," a health care expert at the libertarian Cato Institute said. "Yes, they're paying it to an insurance company instead of to the government. But, suddenly, these people are paying more money to somebody."

Read original story in Los Angeles Times | Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009