Posted on 08/08/2018 12:47:50 PM PDT by MarchonDC09122009
https://khn.org/news/once-its-greatest-foes-doctors-are-embracing-single-payer/
By Shefali Luthra 08/07/2018
When the American Medical Association — one of the nation’s most powerful health care groups — met in Chicago this June, its medical student caucus seized an opportunity for change.
Though they had tried for years to advance a resolution calling on the organization to drop its decades-long opposition to single-payer health care, this was the first time it got a full hearing. The debate grew heated — older physicians warned their pay would decrease, calling younger advocates naïve to single-payer’s consequences. But this time, by the meeting’s end, the AMA’s older members had agreed to at least study the possibility of changing its stance.
“We believe health care is a human right, maybe more so than past generations,” said Dr. Brad Zehr, a 29-year-old pathology resident at Ohio State University, who was part of the debate. “There’s a generational shift happening, where we see universal health care as a requirement.”
The ins and outs of the AMA’s policymaking may sound like inside baseball. But this year’s youth uprising at the nexus of the medical establishment speaks to a cultural shift in the medical profession, and one with big political implications.
Amid Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, an increasing number of Democrats — ranging from candidates to established Congress members — are putting forth proposals that would vastly increase the government’s role in running the health system. These include single-payer, Medicare-for-all or an option for anyone to buy in to the Medicare program. At least 70 House Democrats have signed on to the new “Medicare-for-all” caucus.
Organized medicine, and previous generations of doctors, had for the most part staunchly opposed to any such plan. The AMA has thwarted public health insurance proposals since the 1930s and long been considered one of the policy’s most powerful opponents.
But the battle lines are shifting as younger doctors flip their views, a change that will likely assume greater significance as the next generation of physicians takes on leadership roles. The AMA did not make anyone available for comment.
Many younger physicians are “accepting of single-payer,” said Dr. Christian Pean, 30, a third-year orthopedic surgery resident at New York University.
In prior generations, “intelligent, motivated, quantitative” students pursued medicine, both for the income and because of the workplace independence — running practices with minimal government interference, said Dr. Steven Schroeder, 79, a longtime medical professor at the University of California-San Francisco.
In his 50 years of teaching, students’ attitudes have changed: “The ‘Oh, keep government out of my work’ feeling is not as strong as it was with maybe older cohorts,” said Schroeder. “Students come in saying, ‘We want to make a difference through social justice. That’s why we’re here.’”
Though “single-payer” health care was long dismissed as a left-wing pipe dream, polling suggests a slim majority of Americans now support the idea — though it is not clear people know what the term means.
A full single-payer system means everyone gets coverage from the same insurance plan, usually sponsored by the government. Medicare-for-all, a phrase that gained currency with the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), means everyone gets Medicare, but, depending on the proposal, it may or may not allow private insurers to offer Medicare as well. (Sanders’ plan, which eliminates deductibles and expands benefits, would get rid of private insurers.)
Meanwhile, lots of countries achieve universal health care — everyone is covered somehow — but the method can vary. For example, France requires all citizens purchase coverage, which is sold through nonprofits. In Germany, most people get insurance from a government-run “public option,” while others purchase private plans. In England, health care is provided through the tax-funded National Health System.
So this is a demand from an even more commie faction within a commie org.
And the AMA’s slide into irrelevancy continues unabated.
I guess at least with single payer they get paid.
Under the current system insurance companies play tap-and-shuffle games to stretch their payables out to Net 500.
There probably ARE advantages for them. Dealing with one bureaucracy, instead of multiple insurance companies, might allow them to reduce their staffs. On the other hand, wait till the Socialists demand they arbitrarily lower their fees and they have no place else to go.
“Students come in saying, ‘We want to make a difference through social justice. That’s why we’re here.’”
Until it affects their pocketbook. This sounds like an idealistic cohort that hasn’t had reality hit them in the face yet. Good luck paying back that huge medical school loan.
So is it also a “human right” to get good health care? Is it a “human right” to not have to wait for months to see a doctor? Where does quality fit into this? Odds are, you don’t want to get sick in a country where health care is considered a human right.
“Once its greatest foes, doctors are embracing single payer (AMA Socialized medicine)”
That’s like the NRA calling for more gun control. Dumshits.
Socialized medicine is deadly.
“193,000 NHS patients a month waiting beyond target time for surgery”
Future doctor, circa 2030: "I'd love to help, and will do what I can, but the government pretends to pay me and I pretend to heal people".
They would rather do paperwork rather than treat patients. Besides, all that Liability hassle goes away if they are salaried employees of the government. The second rate doctors will gravitate toward full blown socialized medicine while the talented and astute doctors are moving off shore. Young people starting out in this great economy should be building a medical savings account to enable them to use cash to get those plane tickets and go to Costa Rica or Thailand to get major medical work done. For right now work, like a heart attack, well, tough luck about that. There is offshore insurance available for this. My Medicare supplement company has 50k for out of country expenses. Out of the country that is worth a multiple of what it would pay for in the USA.
“Students come in saying, ‘We want to make a difference through social justice. That’s why we’re here.’”
Oh do bugger off you pukes.
Yeah, send them ALL down to Venezuela for a few months. If they get back, have them vote again.
This is why my father in law is not a member of the AMA. I am not a member of the ABA, for the same reason.
One single policy change to bring down the cost of medical care in the US?
Let 50% more people into medical school every year.
Millennials will be the death of us all
All doctors aren’t AMA. AMA championed Oturdbo.
There’s a collision between controlling the cost of doctors’ wages and compensating them for the cost of medical school.
Some countries have evolved a system where doctors are paid decent, but not high-powered wages, but at the same time, don’t have a quarter-million in education debt, as well as an extended period of low wage intern/resident work.
I have a niece who, at 32, after being in an accelerated combo college/medical program (6 years to MD), has just entered private practice as an allergist after all of her post-degree training. She’s got a lot of debt, too. She deserves to make a lot of money... and indeed, needs in order to get past break-even, which will probably happen when she’s close to 40.
When you transition to medical socialism, you consume the invested educational capital of people like her by underpaying her relative to the investment she’s made. It’s pleasant for society at first (if not for the doctor). Like my tagline says, “It’s always a party when you’re eating the seed corn.”
Wonder how all these SJW docs are gonna feel when they find out they’re gonna be paid less then the bureaucrats they report to and will have no independent practices they can ever aspire to.
And also how the patients are gonna feel when they find out they may or may not get medical attention when they come down with something based on some bureaucrat’s judgement, and there won’t be a damn thing they can do about it.
PS: the AMA spent years telling the Congress that there were too many docs already, and not to train more - that was back in the ‘70s. The idea was to limit competition. Unfortunately the population grew and they ended up with far less docs then they needed so they started importing docs from the Third world: the HMO’s really liked that cuz they worked cheep.
So instead of expanding US medical schools and educating Americans to be doctors - and there were millions of qualified people who applied in the ‘70s - they imported quacks. Now about 25% of docs in the US are foreign born, where that number was probably 5% in the 1960’s and before.
Great organization, that.
Conscripted Comrade Doctor pay is less than Comrade Garbageman pay.
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