American Medical Association Comes Out Against Public Plan

In its first reaction to specific reform proposals being considered by Congress, the American Medical Association has said that it does not support the creation of a public health insurance option, the New York Times reports.

AMA said that it "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." According to AMA, such a plan "threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers" and leads to "an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers."

The New York Times reports that AMA's opposition could be a significant obstacle for advocates of a public plan because the organization "probably has more influence than any other group in the health care industry" (Pear, New York Times, 6/11).