Doctors Blast the AMA for Pelosi Care Endorsement
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:04AM UPDATE - 11/8/2009 (SEE VIDEO & PHOTOS FROM SHOUT-OUT BELOW)
PROTESTERS TELL AMA TO SUPPORT "PATIENTS NOT PELOSI !"
In downtown Houston on 11/7/2009, outside the AMA meeting, about 150 people chanted, yelled, and talked for almost 2 hours and 3 television stations came out to report on the event. David McKalip, M.D. took a break from the AMA meeting and spoke to the assembled crowd. The AMA staff was on lookout through park for the hour or so beforehand checking out what we were up to.
The one casualty of the rally was our Take Back Medicine sign, which mysteriously disappeared from the tree it was attached to.
Stay tuned...
Hear the crowd shout "Kill the Bill" to the AMA Delgates inside the convention center across the street.
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Report from AAPS Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Kathryn Serkes, on the ground in Houston at the AMA meeting:
The AMA has security posted at entrances to Convention Center, so public will NOT be allowed access to the facility.
Our "shout out" at the AMA meeting here in Houston is set for later this afternoon. AMA could vote on emergency resolution to rescind the support of HR 3962. The resolution may be considered later today!
November 7
For immediate release:
AMA Has Chance to Rescind Support of HR 3962;
AMA Shout -out from public urges doctors to answer to PATIENTS not AMA leadership
HOUSTON, TX -- Members of the AMA are trying a last-minute tactic to introduce an emergency resolution rescinding the AMA's support of HR 3962.
"We want to remind physicians that they are responsible to their PATIENTS, not the leadership of the AMA," said Kathryn Serkes, Director of Policy for the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and Take Back Medicine, a coalition of other medical groups.
"If the AMA leadership ignores the public -- their patients--it will set us back to the old days 'Doctor knows best' when patients were supposed to keep their mouths shut and do what the doctor ordered."
This week, Take Back Medicine called for a public “Shout Out” at the AMA meeting, with doctors and patients to arrive with the Tea Party Express bus in a caravan following their rally at the Sam Houston Race Park in Houston.
Nov 7, Approximately 1:30pm - 2pm
Tea Party Express Bus leaves Sam Houston Race Park leading caravan to
George R. Brown Convention Center, downtown Houston
Will hold public “Shout-out” at AMA Houston meeting on Saturday, including Tea Party protestors
Houston, TX – The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) blasted the AMA for again publicly endorsing the massive Democrat healthcare reform bill in Congress.
“The AMA has sold out patients, and sold out the profession of medicine for a few dollars of Medicare money,” said Ms. Serkes. “In July they endorsed HR 3200 and took a lot of heat and lost members in droves. “With the endorsement of HR 3962, it’s now painfully clear the AMA does not represent it membership.”
A large public demonstration has been organized by physician coalition “Take Back Medicine” on Saturday in Houston. After speaking at the Tea Party Express at the Sam Houston Raceway, AAPS Director Juliette Madrigal-Dersch, M.D. of Marble Falls, TX, and Kathryn Serkes, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, will ride the Tea Party Express bus, leading a caravan grassroots activists to join protesting doctors at the AMA meeting (Brown Convention Center - Downtown Houston).
“They have one last chance to rescind this endorsement,” said Serkes. “If they don’t, the damage with the medical community will never be healed.”
Saturday Schedule:
(Doctors wear your white coats/scrubs. Bring signs!)
11:30 AM - Tea Party Express Rally, Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston, TX
Approximately 1:30 pm - Caravan to AMA meeting at Brown Convention Center - Downtown Houston immediately after TPE rally
Approximately 2 pm - Arrival at Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX
TAKE ACTION:
++CALL THE AMA OFFICE OR
++YOUR STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (CLICK HERE FOR LIST)
++AND LEAVE MESSAGE:
"Doctors -- please support PATIENTS, not AMA leadership. NO on HR 3962."
AMA main office in Chicago: (800) 621-8335 and service.followup@ama-assn.org
Additional AMA contact information, including email addresses, can be found here:
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=322
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Read the AMA letter of support to Nancy Pelosi - CLICK HERE
Read the AMA Press Release of November 5 - CLICK HERE
& Give us your comments below!
(in "Reader Comments" area)
Reader Comments (53)
Have spread that news to many doctors along with easy to follow quick instructions on how to drop their AMA membership. Many have and many more will by the end of the day. It's too bad it has come down to this.
PelosiPalooza is not Healthcare Reform. It's a hostile takeover.
Vichy French in 1940, like AMA in 2009, helped dictators murder, steal and depress
for "a place at the table"..
Self-serving AMA bureacracy claims to represent America's doctors - as false as Obama's promises of whatever an audience wants to hear..
Is the AMA nuts or just stupid?
If the Democrats in Congress are so sure their bills are so good, then I have a suggestion for them to consider seriously. Before any of the health care bills are made available to the American public, every member of Congress, both present and those who are taking advantage of the health care insurance program available only to Congressional members, should be required to participate in whatever they are attempting to ram down the throats of the people for five or six years before they vote on expanding the programs to the public. During this five or six year period the current Congressional health care be dismantled. It appears the legislation being proposed is not good enough for these members of Congress as they have only suggested that they could opt in and participate while they want to mandate that everyone in the public must participate.
In addition, we are distressed that the Congressional Democrats appear to have refused to even consider any approach put forth by anyone outside of the Democrat leadership. This is not transparency or bipartisanship we were promised by our current President.
The AMA is a disgrace to the medical profession and quality health care... That is one of the many reasons less than 15% of physicians in actual practice are members of the AMA... It is a total fasad.. It stinks .. It doesn't even represent the people who are members since most of it's budget is not from members.... It's leaders answer to Pelosi and many other special interest group... It has a history of selling out ..that's why it's membership will continue to go down , down, down!!!!!!!...
Who gave the AMA the authority to give Pelosi a blessing on this totallly worthless bill that solves none of the issues and has draconian cuts to physician reimbursement. Did they poll every member of the AMA ( doubtful). They do not represent practicing physicians. Totally bogus. Hopefully the word gets out to the media that physicians in no way support this bill and in fact if it passes will cause thousands upon thousands of physicians to withdraw from medicare and cause serious access issues for Americans.
The clowns running the AMA need to pick up a history book and explain two things: one,which social progam in the United States has ever worked as intended? two, what crystal ball are they gazing into that gives them the idea this this plan will end up different than all the other failed, inefficient government social programs. I especially like the AMA bullet point suggesting that there are administrative efficiencies in the house bills.
Time for the AMA to go. Time for someone to legally challenge their monopoly on CPT coding and drive them out of business. Time for MD's to rally around an organization that truly protects medicine and fund it and their activities. You do not see dentists having this problem. their reimbursements are fantastic and their political clout is strong
Nothing to them...They have had enough of our blood.
We are blackmailed daily in our offices.
We are running scared of our own shadows.
No CPT's or bullets to fill in
No more Rac's
No more Doctors are just junk, whipping boy or fair game.
No more corrupt inquisitorial racket boards
No more Federation of State Medical Boards that are not Federal (or state) but private companies to suppress physicians
NO more insurance antitrust exceptions
NO more doctors working for anyone but their patients.
Freedom
Deregulation
FREE MARKET FOR MEDICINE
What did the government have to pay for this support? We are really not stupid, your not putting anything over on Americans, we know how government works. AMA do you really trust what the obama group promised you they will deliver? AMA you have become a pawn, someone that the dems will step over when they are finished with you. You have assisted in delivering America to the dogs. Why wouldn't you work for bringing America back to it's roots in God and country. This will come back and bite you, AMA in the ass, we will be watching and waiting.
I found out today that "Rush University Medical Center" in Chicago has dropped Humana One Health Insurance. I do not know of any reason why, but I am curious if this has to do with the administration feud with Humana.
Thank you
Constantino
I was initially incredulous and now am profoundly dissappointeed with the AMA's selling out and supporting the HR 3962-a bill that is at once apparently innocuous but inherently vicious. This bill while on the surface tells it like we want to hear: insurance-transparency, and portability, capped premiums, no cherry picking, etc. has the HIDDEN AGENDA OF GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF THE MULTIBILLION DOLLAR INSURANCE INDUSTRY, AT LEAST CONTROL; AND THE PUBLIC OPTION WHICH IS SOCIALIZED MEDICINE WITH UNLIMITED FUNDING AND LOWER DEDUCTIBLES--AGAINST WHICH PRIVATE INSURANCE WITH BUILT IN LIMITED FUNDS-CANNOT COMPETE. This bill must be defeated. It will create huge debt, kill small business, and destroy Medical care as we know it.
How can the AMA be SO STUPID? Have they been asleep the last 30 years and NOT SEEN MEDICARE PROGRESSIVELY RATCHET DOWN REIMBURSEMENTS/? I am confident that I have observed a 300% reduction in reimbursements since I began practiceing 20 plus years ago-AND IT ALL WAS INITIATED BY MEDICARE CUTS-----more to follow--MS
I left the AMA many years ago.
Can you please explain to the American people that the AMA does not represent physicians. Please explain that what they represent is their own corporate interests.
Were we not led to believe that with Obama as president, there would be an end to lobbying bu corporate interests (AMA, big pharma, health insurers, malpractice attorneys). This is pure double-speak, say one thing and do another!
I quit the AMA decades ago when I realized they did not represent me or the needs of my patients. Neither does the Pelosi bill. Our legislators and the American public need to know that the AMA does not represent the majority of practicing physicians or their patients. Therefore, this "letter of blessing" from the AMA has zero value or significance. At least the AMA is correctly named..... AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE! What we need is less third party interference in medical care, not more. Lord help our patients if this bill is passed.
I dropped my AMA membership long ago. The AMA does not represent the doctors and the country needs to know that only 15 % of its reveniue comes from doctors. Just look at it's journal with 1/4 of it's pages are advertisements by drug companies. Oh and I'm sure the AMA's support of Govt. run healthcare has nothing to do with the AMA's financial stake in it's exclusive rights to the CPT codes.
I left the AMA 30 years ago because of their efforts to involve the Feds in our medical practices. Their arguments supporting PelosiCare are totally unrealistic.Where do they get this? As someone else has said, it is important to inform the public that the AMA represents only about 27% of physicians---which is a tragedy; it should support us all.
I only wish I belonged to the AMA, so I could quit today in protest.
Any physician reading this, do yourself a favor, and visibly drop your membership in the AMA and AARP - NOW.
Encourage the physicians in Congress that don't support this bill to get on FOX news and any other network that will give them air time to present their opinions!!! You physicians haven't been heard enough. The public needs to hear from you on cable TV. The articles in JAMA expressing the various opiniions of physicians on the health care reform bills have been very revealing on both sides of the issue; and these debates need to be heard by the general public. ,
What about abortion? I could find nothing specifically prohibiting government funding for abortions? I, as well the majority of this country, do not believe in abortion.
What about illegal aliens? This should be true Emergency Care only then deport them. Why are we not enforcing the laws we already have on the books.
I was not surprised to see that the AMA supported this junk bill which will be a disaster. As far as I know the AMA does not represent the majority of doctors because they have failed to represent the views of most doctors for years. The AMA should also have an obligation to all the patients who will suffer if this bill is passed. First do no harm is the creed of the majority of doctors and the AMA would do well to remember that they are to up hold that creed also.
It is shocking and depressing that the AMA leadership has so lost their moral compass that they would betray our profession and our patients by collaborating with this despicable conspiracy to destroy American medical care.
The AMA is a JOKE!!!!
This is just another example of appeasement by so called "organized medicine" to have a "seat at the table". The AMA does not represent me or many other clinicians. Appeasement has never worked...just ask members of my family... they survived the last attempt at appeasement...WWII. Churchill was correct..when faced with evil you must confront it, fight it and ultimately destroy it.
Physicians, speak up. Let the general public know that the majority of doctors are not members of the AMA and do not support the Democrats Healthcare bill.
People need to know that the real doctors, those working in the trenches, do not support or endorse HR 3962. Find an outlet of conservative media, radio, TV, newspaper as well as internet. Don't let Pelosi use this lie to feed her big government agenda.