Last week, President Obama fawned over the endorsement of Pelosicare by two political powerhouses, AARP(who stands to make millions from its passage) and the American Medical Association.
With those endorsements, Congressmen Zack Space, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Steve Driehaus likely breathed a sigh of relief.
That was premature.
The Ohio State Medical Association, the state affiliate of the AMA, came out harshly against the U.S. House’s brand of health care reform. Among their concerns…
The association represents about 20,000 physicians, residents, medical students and practice managers. Thomas said the flaws in the latest House bill, introduced last week by Democratic leaders after months of committee work, include a perennial problem with payments to doctors under Medicare, the federal program that pays senior citizens’ health bills.
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“As physicians, we understand better than many others that the status quo of the health care delivery system is unsustainable,” Thomas said. “However, the total proposal lacks many of the critical elements necessary for successfully reforming America’s health care delivery system and strengthening the physician-patient relationship.”
And Space, Kilroy, and Driehaus voted for it anyway.
The AMA is a powerful lobby in Ohio. While that didn’t stop these three congressmen from voting with their constituency, it will make them pay come next November.