Thursday, November 5, 2009

The American Medical Association says it supports the House Democratic health care bill, but it can't give a full endorsement yet.

AMA President Dr. James Rohack said Thursday that the bill is not perfect, but it meets enough of the organization's goals to deserve support, and said the legislation should move forward. But Rohack said it's also critical for Congress to fix a Medicare payment formula that if left unchanged would lead to a 20% cut in fees to doctors next year.

House Democratic leaders are moving a separate measure dealing with the payment problem, alongside the health overhaul bill. But the cost of the fix — about $240 billion over 10 years — has been giving many lawmakers second thoughts.