Harry Reid: AMA Misled Me.......

[a kennedy]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has told colleagues that he was given bad information by the American Medical Association (AMA), which will result in a significant setback to Democrats’ healthcare reform strategy.

Democrats are not expected to have the votes to pass a 10-year freeze of scheduled cuts to doctors' Medicare payments, according to sources in both parties. Reid had offered to pass the "doctors' fix" in return for support from the doctors on President Barack Obama's broader healthcare initiative, which is slated for the Senate floor later this year.

Reid told colleagues that the AMA said it could deliver 27 Republican votes for the legislation, according to two Senate Democratic lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reid needs the GOP votes because at least five members of his party have vowed to vote against the doctors' fix.

Reid said at a news conference Wednesday that he would bring up the 10-year freeze after the healthcare reform legislation is passed and will settle for a one-year fix in the meantime.

full article: <http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/64117-reid-tells-colleagues-he-was-led-astray-by-the-ama>

[WolverineDG]

1. Why is he still the majority leader? nt

[AndyA]

3. Why indeed. It would be difficult to find a bigger wimp.

He should step down and let Barbara Boxer take over. She'd kick ass and take names later!

[Libertas1776]

2. The AMA

deceived somebody. Well, I'm SHOCKED I tell you, SHOCKED!:sarcasm:

[Barack_America]

4. When did doctors become the enemy?

[Libertas1776]

5. The AMA

is an interest group that has derailed efforts at health care reform, primarily universal single payer health care reform since the 1930s. During the Presidencies of FDR and Truman, they blasted such health care and called it "socialism." Sound familiar?

[ingac70]

11. They have always been the enemy of health care reform.

Just as much as the insurance companies.

[Barack_America]

12. Wow. Really?

These doctors?



Physicians’ Support of Options for Expanding Insurance Coverage and Medicare.

Panel A shows the proportion of survey respondents who favored public options only, those who favored both public and private options, and those who favored private options only. Panel B shows the proportions of respondents (according to their medical specialty) who supported, opposed, or were undecided about the expansion of Medicare to include adults between the ages of 55 and 64 years. The proportion of support was consistent across all four specialty groups (P=0.08).

http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1790

[ingac70]

13. We are talking about the AMA here....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101501946.html

[no_hypocrisy]

6. He trusted a special interest lobbying group?

Bet he thought they were just a bunch of family doctors who made housecalls.

[Alhena]

7. C'mon people, the outrage is that Reid wanted to fatten MD's wallets ...

in a time of soaring health care costs, NOT that the AMA promised him that so many Republicans would go along with it. This is why the final passage of health care "reform" will be such a mixed blessing - we've had to pay off so many special interests to get it. It looks like the doctors may not get theirs, but I don't hear much complaining from the pharmaceutical industry- you can bet they have gotten theirs in the fine print of whatever bill is being drafted in secret.

[jbnow]

10. It wouldn't make them too fat. Medicare already pays less

than other insurance or private pay, some doctors have already quit taking mew Medicare patients. This wasn't about raising the pay a lot, it was about not cutting them.

Although I know Obama does want to change the way payments are made and increase rates for GPs....who are most underpaid and will have a big role to play. We need more of them!

[asdjrocky]

8. Worst. Leader. Ever.

[OneGrassRoot]

9. +1000. Ugh. n/t

[spanone]

14. harry, call them before congress TOMORROW. you wimpy fuck.

[Vidar]

15. Reid is right up there with Neville Chamberlain.