AMA to Des Moines Register: Doctors have a proposed solution to health care crisis

Des Moines Register
Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Regarding your April 2 editorial, "National Health Care? Even Doctors Want It": The recent survey that shows growing physician support for national health insurance draws attention to the clear need for health care reform, but does not define national health insurance, or incremental reform, both of which can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

The American Medical Association has a national health-reform proposal to cover the 47 million uninsured patients in the United States. The AMA plan expands coverage through tax credits that would provide the most money to those who need it most — lower-income Americans. Our proposal gives individuals choices so they can select the best plan for themselves and their families, and it promotes fair rules that include protections for high-risk patients and greater individual responsibility.

Physicians struggle daily with the shortcomings of our health care system, and we agree that much more can be done to make it better and stronger. As the nation's largest physician group, with a quarter of a million members, we are eager to support federal legislation that builds on the strengths of our current system — world-class medical innovations and research, and doctors dedicated to the health of their patients.

The AMA's Voice For The Uninsured Campaign was launched with the hope that more Americans will join us in our effort toward a national solution.

Sincerely,

Edward Langston, MD
AMA Board Chair