AMA urges mandatory coverage

The American Medical Association ratified a proposal endorsing mandatory health insurance for individuals at its annual meeting on Tuesday. Members voted to back the idea of requiring people with annual incomes over $50,000 to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties. Under the scheme, low-income Americans would get tax-credits and subsidies. "The AMA just took a huge step toward supporting universal health care for all Americans," comments Dr. Jack Lewin of the California Medical Association, which sponsored the proposal. "Historically, the AMA has supported voluntary approaches, but never a mandate."

The decision may mark a key turning point for the physicians' group, which has historically opposed efforts to mandate health coverage. While the AMA no longer represents as many physicians as it did at its high point in the 1950s and 1960s due to the rise of specialty societies, the organization remains politically influential in Washington on many healthcare issues.

- see this article from the Buffalo News

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