CongressDaily reports today on state chapters of the AMA who do not support the government-run Pelosi health care bill. This opposition is critical as the House moves forward with a vote on the bill in the next day or two. See an excerpt of the article here:
The Georgia Medical Association is racking up support for a move to force the American Medical Association to rescind its support for the House healthcare overhaul bill as delegates arrive in Houston for an AMA policy meeting.
"The AMA announcement yesterday has lit a fire that delegates are concerned about," said David Cook, executive director of the Georgia chapter.
Cook is in Houston signing up as many state and specialty societies as he can for a resolution to withdraw the support that AMA announced Thursday. He has the backing so far of seven additional state medical associations and five national surgical societies.
"Most people haven't even come yet," he said, noting the meeting of AMA's House of Delegates does not start until Saturday, the same day the House is expected to take up its overhaul bill. While AMA is splintered over the overhaul, the slogan on its meeting Web site is "Make reform a reality. Together we are stronger."
The state medical associations sponsoring the resolution with Georgia are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, New Jersey, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. The resolution, which was filed at the last minute given the quick pace of House developments, will require a two-thirds vote of the 500 or so delegates to be considered as an item of business before AMA's policymaking body, Cook said."I don't know if we have the votes or not," Cook said. "It's clear there's substantial angst about AMA's decision." Cook said Georgia and the others supporting the resolution are concerned the House overhaul bill allows the government to meddle in physicians' work.
"What it offers is more and more federal interference into the practice of medicine," he said.