http://www.medpagetoday.com/Washington-Watch/Washington-Watch/tb/15153WASHINGTON, July 20 -- A group of Republican doctors in the House of Representatives has fired off an angry letter to the American Medical Association (AMA), criticizing the group for supporting the House Democrats' healthcare reform bill. ........
In its letter sent on Friday, the GOP Doctors Caucus blasted the AMA for supporting legislation that contains a public plan that would reimburse doctors at Medicare-like rates.
"Under this scheme, your members will be unable to negotiate payment structures that will reflect their costs, thereby forcing many of them to close their doors. As a result . . . more doctors will inevitably retire and less students will choose to pursue the worthy profession of medicine," the GOP letter said.
Aside from poor reimbursement rates, the GOP Doctors Caucus opposes a government run plan because it feels the government would be an unfair competitor and drive the private insurance industry into the ground. .......
The letter was signed by Republicans Phil Gingrey, MD, Paul Broun, MD, Tom Price, MD, and John Linder, DDS, all of Georgia; Charles Boustany, MD, Bill Cassidy, MD, and John Fleming, MD, all of Louisiana; Michael Burgess, MD, and Ron Paul, MD, both of Texas; Phil Roe, MD, of Tennessee; Mike Simpson, MD, of Idaho; John Boozman, OD, of Arkansas; and Tim Murphy, PhD, of Pennsylvania.