American Medical Assoc. Issues Statement on Federal Health Reform

CHICAGO — Dr. David Barbe, president of the American Medical Assoc., issued a statement this week on the collapse of GOP repeal-and-replace efforts for the Affordable Care Act.

“The health-reform debate is by no means over,” he said. “Congress must begin a collaborative process that produces a bipartisan approach to improve healthcare in our country. The status quo is unacceptable. Near-term action is needed to stabilize the individual/non-group health-nsurance marketplace. In the long term, stakeholders and policymakers need to address the unsustainable trends in healthcare costs while achieving meaningful, affordable coverage for all Americans. The American Medical Association is ready to work on short- and long-term solutions.”

He added, “the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act and the 21st Century Cures Act are recent examples of what can be accomplished to improve the health of the nation when Congress works on a bipartisan basis with key stakeholder groups. Success is achieved when patients, physicians, and policymakers work together to improve the health of individuals, families and communities.

 I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of patients, physicians, and other providers for their pivotal participation in the debate on health reform. The grassroots response and their continued involvement moving forward demonstrate the vitality of our democracy.”