AMA supports private enforcement of Medicaid’s equal-access mandate

The American Medical Association (AMA) and a coalition of several health care organizations have filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow private actions challenging states that break trust with Medicaid's promise to provide patients with equal access to medical care.

"The nation's most vulnerable patients deserve the same access to high-quality medical care as patients with private insurance," said AMA President Robert M. Wah, M.D. "The sad fact is that Medicaid's guarantee of equal access has become an illusion in many states that have cut Medicaid funding and driven physicians and other health professionals from the program."