I don't know why this does not get on the media radar, as it is unprecedented and should be important, given the public's relative trust in physicians on issues of health reform.
So I have updated a prior post on Physician Support for Healthcare Reform because now the Ten Largest Physicians Organizations Support Health Reform!
Below are the largest physicians organization, in order, with estimated membership numbers based on their own websites (or other sources when the Web Site didn't have them).
All are YES on reform with Public Option (i.e., the House Bill) except 11 and 12 as noted below.
- AMA 240,000
- ACP 126,000 (Internists and many medical subspecialists)
- AAFP 94,000 (Family Practice)
- ACS 76,000 (surgeons)
- AOA 67,000 (osteopaths)
- AAP 60,000 (pediatricians)
- ACOG 52,000 (ob-gyn)
- ASA 43,000 (Anesthesiology!)
- APA 38,000 (psychiatry)
- ACC 37,000 (cardiology)
NO: 11. ACR 32,000 (Radiology - Not on Board)
NO: 12. ACEP 27,000 (Emergency Medicine - Has policy statements, no stand on bills)
- AGA 17,000 (gastroenterology)
- It gets a little fuzzy from here on. I think Dermatology with 14K is next (they are against a public option), but there are probably organizations that I'm not thinking of that belong in here. Please fill me in and I will update accordingly.
SO, actually, the BIG NEWS is that 10 of the 10 largest physician organizations support health reform with a public option.
State Medical Societies (these are rough estimates):
- Texas 43,000 Against Senate Bill, member survey: more worried about government than private insurer interference in medicine.
- California 35,000. Sent letter of support to AMA
- NY 30,000. Sent letter of support to AMA
- PA 20,000. Sent letter of support to AMA on principals, not specifics
- Florida 19,000. Has set of principles, no specifics
And, of course, don't forget the recent NEJM published surveys of physicians' opinions on reform.
"Overall, a majority of physicians (62.9%) supported public and private options. Only 27.3% supported offering private options only."
and
a large majority of respondents (78%) agreed that physicians have a professional obligation to address societal health policy issues. Majorities also agreed that every physician is professionally obligated to care for the uninsured or underinsured (73%), and most were willing to accept limits on reimbursement for expensive drugs and procedures for the sake of expanding access to basic health care (67%). By contrast, physicians were divided almost equally about cost-effectiveness analysis; just over half (54%) reported having a moral objection to using such data "to determine which treatments will be offered to patients.
...the 28% of physicians who consider themselves conservative were consistently less enthusiastic about professional responsibilities pertaining to health care reform.
So, when are we going to see this on the AIR!!!
I'm looking at you, Keith! And Rachel. Or Ed. Or Chris. Or Lehrer. Anyone?