Affordable Health Insurance An Absolute Bargain
The public health insurance option is now live! Did you know that this is the best chance in generations to get a high quality, affordable health insurance plan?
If you don't have or can't afford private health insurance, don't worry. The public option guarantees that no one will go without coverage. And because it operates under different rules than regular plans, it can offer more choices and better prices than what's currently available.
Don't let your finances keep you from getting the care you need to stay healthy and productive. Get started today at Healthcare.gov and see how much you can save!
The public option is available now to everyone. Just click the button below and take a look!
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Posted by CHRIS BRACK at 2:23 PM No comments: Links to this post
Monday, November 11, 2009
Who Is My Representative? A Guide For AMA House of Delegates Resolution 307 Bylaw Change By Jeffrey Bodovitz, MD [ARTICLE START] The AMA Bylaw change proposal for member representation in the House of Delegates passed overwhelmingly. The final vote was 79% in favor, and 21% opposed. Perhaps some have been a bit confused as to how this will actually change things. This article will hopefully help you understand. The following is a revised version of an article I wrote before the final vote, with some updates and some new information.
Note: I should note that AMA Delegate Dr. John Fisher contributed to this article, as well as AMA Government Relations staff members Maureen Corcoran and Eric Yost.
Dr. Jeffrey Bodovitz AMA House of Delegates Resolution 307: Member Representation at the Annual Meeting Summary A member referendum passed in 2008 with support from 89% of voting members. This amendment amends the current structure of House of Delegates membership and allows certain categories of AMA members to have additional voting rights on resolutions and amendments brought before the House at future annual meetings.
Individuals will be able to vote for national office representatives and delegate representatives.
Current AMA members will be allowed to endorse individuals, who in turn can represent them at the annual meeting. The selected representative(s) must provide a written statement of support from a minimum of five other AMA members within the said state.
Representatives are not allowed to receive compensation during their year in office. Delegate Representatives: These individuals will be able to vote on House of Delegates resolutions, amendments and policy recommendations (as opposed to "member resolutions") with a simple majority vote, instead of the current proxy voting system. They will not be able to vote on member resolutions (a simple majority requires 50% of those voting and at least 25% of the full House membership).
Members will still elect delegate representatives, but these individuals need not reside in that geographic area. In addition, existing Delegates will no longer be required to wear AMA badges identifying them as Delegates. However, they must wear an AMA badge if they are also representing an AMA member in his/her home state because they will now be considered "Delegates" for all legal intents and purposes. They can vote by proxy for their home state members on all other resolutions and amendments (as opposed to "member resolutions"). National Office Representatives: These individuals were non-voting delegates previously and will be allowed to speak on behalf of their constituency category at the annual meeting (e.g. delegate, delegate physician, AMA member), but will not be allowed to vote. Links to this article: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/7929921/AMA-member-representation http://www.docstoc.com/docs/7998270/Amendments-to-the-AMA-Bylaws http://www.firstwebdesigner.com/tag/membership-reform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Medical_Association http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Delegates_of_the_American_Medical http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional
posted by CHRIS BRACK at 1:37 PM No comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, November 6, 2009
The AMA's Role in Your Care A Few Thoughts on Health Reform By Jeff Bodovitz, MD [ARTICLE START] About 10 years ago I started to hear rumblings that the AMA was working on some sort of health care reform initiative. That someone in government or the administration had floated the idea of a national health care system with the AMA name attached to it. I'll admit that I was uneasy with the idea at first, but I figured the AMA would not be moving in this direction unless it was to leverage more power for doctors. As a medical student, my understanding of American politics was very simple. Republicans were for doctors and health care reform meant more Democratic voters, so any affiliation with Democrats could only hurt us.
Maybe if I had been more educated about politics at the time, I would have known better. Maybe a few years down the road when I was a practicing doctor in my own office and thought about who was going to reform health care, the AMA might have come to mind as a potential partner.
Today, it is hard to argue against the need for health reform. In many ways, our health care system in the United States is very similar to other rapidly industrializing nations with a lot of poor health statistics. Look at Japan or Sweden and you'll see a very large portion of the population are over age 65 and are not healthy. This does not bode well for their nation's economic future.
We have an aging population where there are not enough healthy members to meet the needs of waiting patients. The United States spends about $2 trillion per year on health care but has fewer doctor than any other developed country. We also have less preventable disease than some European nations that spend less on health care.
One could make the case that our system is inefficient or that it depends on insurance and fear to drive behavior instead of a communal responsibility for health. I certainly have my own opinions about those points, but regardless of your political leanings or views about reform, there seems to be wide agreement on this issue.
If the AMA does not offer itself as a partner in health care reform now, then who will? I don't talk to many doctors who want the government dictating their practice, but it is not likely we can do much better than private industry at designing and implementing a comprehensive health care system.
Conclusion
In the last 100 years, we have seen the AMA grow into a well-respected organization that represents over a quarter of the licensed doctors in the United States. The AMA does not represent all physicians' interests or ideals, but it is without question a powerful voice.
If we are truly going to address health care reform and prepare our nation for what is ahead, then doctors in leadership positions will be needed to help develop policy and forge alliances with powerful organizations representing other health professions and government agencies.
This process will not be easy or accomplished without sacrifice.