No To Public Insurance: AMA Will Oppose Obama's Health Care Reforms

The American Medical Association (AMA) says they plan to oppose Barack Obama's health care reform plan to create a public health insurance system.

In comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said: “The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans.” If private insurers are pushed out of the market, the group said, “the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.””

The NYT points out that the AMA does not speak for all doctors and that some doctors groups do support a single-payer insurance system.