American Medical Association opposes GOP health plan

Add the American Medical Association to the list of groups that oppose the American Health Care Act, the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Dr. Andrew W. Gurman, the president of the largest organization of doctors in the country, said in a statement on Wednesday that while the ACA is "imperfect, the current version of the AHCA is not legislation we can support." As written, the AHCA would "reverse the coverage gains achieved under the ACA, causing many Americans to lose the health care coverage they have come to depend upon." He also said a letter was sent to House leaders from AMA CEO and executive vice president Dr. James L. Madara, who wrote that "the proposed changes to Medicaid would limit states' ability to respond to changes in service demands and threaten coverage for people with low incomes" and "proposed changes in tax credits and subsidies to help patients purchase private health insurance coverage are expected to result in fewer Americans with insurance coverage."

Gurman said that while it's not clear what impact the bill would have on insured Americans, S&P Global Ratings has estimated that if it becomes law, as many as 10 million Americans could lose their coverage — between 2 to 4 million who purchased insurance through individual health exchanges and between 4 and 6 million on Medicaid. "We all know that our health system is highly complex, but our core commitment to the patients most in need should be straightforward," he said. "As the AMA has previously stated, members of Congress must keep top of mind the potentially life-altering impact their policy decisions will have."

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