AMA to The Times: AMA health care plan could cover everyone

The Times (Trenton, NJ)
Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Make no mistake, the American Medical Association is committed to extending health care coverage to all Americans, and we've worked for more than 10 years to make it happen (see Paul Kragman's column "Health care terror," July 11). Most recently, the AMA joined forces with 15 other national organizations, as part of the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured, to develop a plan that focuses on covering children as the first step to covering all Americans.

The AMA has a well-defined plan that, if adopted on a federal level, has the potential to cover the millions of uninsured Americans currently struggling to get the health care they need. The AMA proposal builds on the strengths of our current system, focuses on fairness and increased choice, and advocates for tax credits that would provide the most money to those who need it most — lower-income Americans.

The AMA is glad to see the issue of the uninsured in the national spotlight, but we disagree that the best solution is to give up and sign our health care system over to the government. Americans need effective, feasible solutions, and the AMA has worked hard to offer our best.

Sincerely,

Ron Davis, MD
President, American Medical Association.