The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates voted for the AMA to maintain its endorsement of the U.S. House of Representatives health care legislation H.R. 3962, according to David Cook, Executive Director of the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG). MAG released the following statement:

The Medical Association of Georgia is pleased that the American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted to support a patient's right to privately contract with their physician during its meeting in Houston this evening ("Resolved that our AMA actively and publically support the inclusion in health care reform legislation the right of patients and physicians to privately contract, without penalty to patient or physician"); this was one of our primary objectives going into the meeting. We are also pleased with the vote to oppose an unaccountable federal entity (i.e., IMAC) from dictating future health care policy. 

MAG is, however, disappointed that the motions calling for the AMA to oppose a public health insurance option and to withdraw its support for H.R. 3692 failed.

We will continue to promote what we believe is in the best interest of patients and the profession of medicine - a patient-physician relationship that is free of interference from the government or third party payers.

The Washington Times Water Cooler reported on Saturday that the AMA House of Delegates met in Houston over the weekend, and various state groups within the organization joined together and drew up a resolution to rescind the AMA's endorsement of H.R. 3962. The health care legislation was narrowly passed by five votes in the House on Saturday and is now headed to the Senate.

The group which drew up the resolution to withdraw the AMA's endorsement managed to gather the two-thirds votes necessasry to schedule the voting on the withrawal resolution today. Many doctors were upset the AMA had endorsed health care legislation that lacked medical malpractice reform and included cuts to Medicare physician reimbursements.

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