In the report, J. James Rohack, MD, president of the AMA and a Texas cardiologist, says that physicians are often hindered by debates with insurance companies over the medical necessity of X-rays or scans. Dr. Rohack says that the AMA supports the legislation currently before Congress, called America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, which would create a set of rules regarding which tests would be covered by public and private insurance. According to Dr. Rohack, this would cut down on the amount of time physicians spend haggling with insurers.
Another element of the legislation that the AMA supports is providing coverage to patients regardless of preexisting conditions, and physicians could be reimbursed not only for the services they provide but also for coordinating care with other specialists, according to the report.
However, some aspects of the legislation concern the AMA. Dr. Rohack says that compensating physicians based on the overall health of their patients, such as keeping a diabetic’s blood sugar in check, are not fair, as physicians often don’t have control over these factors. A better option, according to the AMA, would be compensating patients for keeping their health in control, according to the report.
Dr. Rohack says that healthcare costs would also be reduced if physicians were not concerned with lawsuits — a fear that often causes physicians to order unnecessary tests to avoid these suits. Also, many physicians argue that the current healthcare reform legislation does little to change antitrust laws that prohibit physicians from joining together to negotiate reimbursement rates with insurance companies.
Read the Post’s report about the AMA’s views on healthcare reform.
