The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have announced support for concurrent passage of H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961, U.S. House of Representatives health system reform bills.

"The time to make health system reform a reality is now," said J. James Rohack, AMA president, in a press release. "These two bills were introduced together, and they need to be passed together. Both are essential to achieving meaningful health system reform this year."

"On balance, H.R. 3962, The Affordable Health Care for America Act, is consistent with our principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of physician practice and universal access. It will significantly expand health insurance coverage to Americans to empower patient and physician decision making; institute meaningful insurance market reforms; make substantial investments in quality; institute prevention and wellness initiatives; provide incentives to states that adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer liability reforms, and reduce administrative burdens."
"We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors," said AARP CEO Barry Rand on the organization's site. "We've read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage."

The AARP listed the reasons behind its support of the legislation, including protecting and strengthening Medicare for seniors and future generations of retirees; ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor if they need one by improving Medicare's payments to doctors; lowering drug costs for seniors through closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers for lower drug prices; and providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

In a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Michael D. Maves, M.D., MBA of the AMA, explained the reasons why the organization is supporting the House bills, particularly expansion of coverage. H.R. 3962 will raise the percentage of legal, non-elderly residents with insurance coverage from 83 percent to 96 percent, and offer insurance market reforms: eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions and lifetime limits on total spending, prohibition on insurers varying premiums based on health status, and expansion of choice and access to coverage for those self-insured or employed by small businesses. Other important factors are preserving patient-physician decision making, investments in quality, prevention, and wellness, and repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR).

Regarding the SGR, the AMA also called on Congress to pass the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 3961) to "permanently repeal the broken physician payment formula and preserve access to care for seniors, baby-boomers and military families."

"Ensuring the security and stability of Medicare must serve as the foundation for any serious health system reform this year," Dr. Rohack said in the release. "In less than 60 days, Medicare physician payments are scheduled to be cut by 21 percent, with more cuts in years to come. According to a recent AARP poll, nearly 90 percent of people age 50 and older are concerned that the current Medicare physician payment formula threatens their access to care."

Adapted in part from the AMA and AARP press releases.

The AMA's release and letter to Speaker Pelosi can be accessed at: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/ama-supports-house-bills.shtml

The AARP's release: http://www.aarp.org/aarp/presscenter/pressrelease/articles/affordable_health_care_act_endorsement.html

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