It's welcome news to hear that the American Medical Association has come out in opposition to Obamacare. Until now, the silence from doctors (well, except when you go for a checkup) has been deafening. But I guess the way Democrats have been trying to fast track the deal finally got someone's attention.
(I)n 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.”
What an explosion of costs will lead to is rationing of health care. That may sound ok to a 20-year-old, but if you are 50 and starting to need certain medications, or a 75-year-old needing bypass surgery, rationing doesn't sound so good.
Karl at Patterico's Pontifications points out that doctors have far more credibility than politicians when it comes to health care. So, losing the support of the A.M.A. is a good sign for those of us who oppose socialized medicine.
|