qotd: AMA adopts resolution for study of health care payment models, including single payer

2016 AMA Annual Meeting

June 11-15, 1016

 

Report of Reference Committee A

 

Excerpt from the Reference Committee report:

 

Overall your Reference Committee notes a distinction between supporting a single payer system and supporting a study on the issue. Your Reference Committee found testimony by the sponsor to be reasonable and persuasive. Your Reference Committee notes numerous reports by the Council on Medical Service evaluating health care financing payment models and believes it may be timely to reassess a variety of health care financing models, including single payer.

 

Resolution 111 - SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE STUDY

 

Recommendation A:

 

Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends that Resolution 111 be amended by addition and deletion as follows:

 

RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association research and analyze the benefits and difficulties of a single-payer health care system in the United States variety of health care financing models, with consideration of the impact on economic and health outcomes and on health disparities and including information from domestic and international experiences. (Directive to Take Action)

 

Recommendation B:

 

Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends that Resolution 111 be adopted as amended.

 

Recommendation C:

 

Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends that the title of Resolution 111 be changed to read as follows:

 

UPDATED STUDY ON HEALTH CARE PAYMENT MODELS

HOUSE OF DELEGATES ACTION:  Resolution 111 adopted as amended.

 

http://www.ama-assn.org/sub/meeting/index.html

 

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Comment by Don McCanne

 

AMA members understand that the financing of health care in the United States is highly flawed, even after implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Although the AMA's official position has been to oppose single payer reform, it has become clear that it is time to take another look at various models of financing health care, including single payer.

 

The Illinois delegation to the AMA House of Delegates offered a resolution calling for a single payer health care study. The Reference Committee amended the resolution to call for an updated study on health care payment models, with the comment that single payer would be included.

 

The House of Delegates adopted the resolution as amended.

 

As a Life Member of the AMA, I am proud that our organization has elected to begin a process based on facts rather than ideology.