DJP Update 6-11-2012 AMA moving to another location in Chicago; AMA Annual Meeting; Congress seeking correspondence written by organizations during PPACA debate
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http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-10/business/ct-biz-1210-ama-20111210_1_ibm-building-van-der-ludwig-mies
1) AMA moving to former IBM building
Historic Mies van der Rohe building will be named for medical association upon 2013 move
December 10, 2011 | By Ameet Sachdev, Chicago Tribune reporter
The former IBM Building designed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe will get a new tenant and a new name.
The American Medical Association said Friday that it will move its Chicago headquarters to the iconic modernistic tower at 330 N. Wabash Ave. in September 2013. At that time, the 52-story tower will be renamed AMA Plaza.
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More info about the building and a photo of building at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/330_North_Wabash
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2) AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago at Hyatt Regency Chicago at 151 East Wacker Drive starts Saturday June 16 and ends Wednesday June 20. OSMAP (Med society presidents) meeting is on Friday June 15. All at Hyatt
Details re meeting at: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/meeting/index.shtml
TWITTER tag if you wish to follow updates from delegates and reporters: #AMAmtg
An important item for vote at the meeting is:
REPORT 2 OF THE COUNCIL ON MEDICAL SERVICE (A-12)
Transitioning Medicare to a Premium Support Program
(Reference Committee A)
Here are the recommendations in the Council On Medical Service Report:
1. That our American Medical Association support transitioning Medicare to a premium
support program that would:
a. Provide beneficiaries with a premium support amount to be used for the purchase of
traditional Medicare or a private health insurance plan approved by the United States
Department of Health and Human Services or its designee.
b. Base the amount of the premium support on the value of the government’s contribution
under traditional Medicare at the time of implementation.
c. Allow for variation in premium support amounts based on factors including, but not
limited to, local market conditions, beneficiary health status, and beneficiary income.
d. Enable beneficiaries to purchase coverage of their choice through a marketplace of
competing health plans, which would be subject to appropriate regulation. (New HOD
Policy)
2. That our AMA reaffirm Policies H-330.896, “Strategies to Strengthen the Medicare
Program,” H-385.961, “Medicare Private Contracting,” D-390.986, “Medicare Balance
Billing,” and H-165.852, “Health Savings Accounts.” (Reaffirm HOD Policy)
3. That our AMA rescind Policy H-330.898, “Long-Term Funding of Medicare” and Policy
D-330.917, “Medicare Reform Financing.” (Rescind HOD Policy)
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3) Meanwhile, doctors should let AMA know what they think of the ideas in the letter below sent to Congress. Request a copy and read through this letter in response to request from Congress. It is too lengthy to reproduce here.
May 25, 2012
The Honorable Dave Camp
Chairman
Committee on Ways and Means
1102 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-6115
The Honorable Wally Herger
Chairman
Committee on Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Health
1102 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-6115
Dear Chairman Camp and Chairman Herger:
The American Medical Association (AMA) is pleased to respond to the Committee on Ways and Means letter of April 27, 2011, requesting our comments on alternative payment models to the current Medicare physician payment system and flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) that will improve health outcomes and efficiency in the Medicare program. We appreciate the Committee’s continued focus on developing a permanent, sustainable solution and welcome the opportunity to provide you with our ideas. …
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4) Of interest, a June 8, 2012 article in InsideHealthReform.com , a subscription newsletter, has as its feature article a claim that it has email correspondence between AMA and Congressional staffers regarding IPAB of PPACA and SGR, etc. Wonder how they get such information? House members requesting from government agencies? Probably so. Should be an interesting AMA Meeting.
Internal Emails: AMA, While Disliking IPAB Framework, Did Not Reject ‘Advisory Board’ Concept
Quote from Website: Internal emails between American Medical Association lobbyists and White House aides during the health reform debate indicate that while AMA disagreed with the Senate’s framework for the Independent Payment Advisory Board it did not “totally reject the concept of an advisory board.”
What to make of this? One needs to see all of the correspondence to evaluate rather than relying on reporter’s summary of what is in correspondence.
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Same publication has this article:
More Internal White House Emails
House Panel Unveils More Memos On White House, PhRMA Dealings During Health Reform Debate
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It is my wish that the U.S. Supreme Court puts PPACA into the trash and Congress then passes a true reform bill that allows purchase of insurance across state lines, medical liability reform, individual ownership of policies, voluntary purchasing cooperatives that allow Health Savings Accounts, etc.
Stay well.
Donald
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Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD
Intrepid Resources® / The Medical Risk Manager Company
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