CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA), the premier national physician organization in the country, voted to adopt new policies on emerging health care topics during the last day of its Annual Meeting.

The AMA's House of Delegates is the policy-making body at the center of American medicine, bringing together an inclusive group of physicians, medical students and residents representing every state and medical field. Delegates work in a democratic process to create a national physician consensus on emerging issues in public health, science, ethics, business and government to continually provide safer, higher quality and more efficient care for patients and communities.

The policies adopted by the House of Delegates today include:

Insurance across state lines

Building on existing AMA policy supporting the sale of health insurance products across state lines, the AMA adopted new policy to ensure products have patient and provider protection consistent with and enforceable under the laws of the state where the patient lives.

“Health care markets need increased competition, as too many of our patients face too few choices when seeking coverage. But in expanding these opportunities, we must ensure that the insurance products being sold comply with state laws intended to protect consumers,” said AMA Board AMA Board Member Russell W. H. Kridel, M.D.

Protecting funding for 911 services

Efforts to modernize 911 services to better serve cell phones have been impaired by a lack of funding and regional coordination. Eight states have diverted 911 fees for purposes other than 911 services, totaling $223 million. The AMA today called for state and federal guidelines to fend off reallocation of 911 funding to unrelated services.

“The public depends on 911 services as a lifeline to medical care. With lives on the line, we need to make sure the funds that are set aside to update those services are not used to plug budget holes in other areas,” said Dr. Kridel.