Statement attributed to:
David O. Barbe, M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“Action is needed to address problems in the individual insurance market, but the so-called 'skinny' bill is a toxic prescription that would make matters worse. Eliminating the individual mandate will lead to adverse selection, triggering higher premiums and further destabilizing the individual market. The stated goal was to advance policies to lower premiums, but the 'skinny' bill would do the exact opposite, harming patients across the country.
“Further, the bill would result in millions more Americans without health insurance coverage.
“Again, we urge Senators to oppose the 'skinny' bill and to pivot to a bipartisan effort, working through appropriate committees of jurisdiction and regular order to fix problems and gaps in current law to enable Americans to obtain quality, affordable health insurance.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
