Never Join The AMA!

[deleted50478]

don't go joining the AMA just because you can and you assume it represents you. for the most part it doesn't. it will sell most of you (future specialists)down the river to help out a few of you (family docs). and those PCPs are just going to be sold out in favor of paraprofessionals by the democommunists anyway.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrBowtie]

Agree. There is little opportunity to change from within and multiple people in my class have left the organization.

 

[VPDcurt]

After the AMA pledged its support for the first health care reform package last year, I contacted them letting them know exactly how I felt about that. They wrote me a long, pathetic email explaining their stance - it was all a bunch of trash. I then asked to terminate my membership and I was kind of surprised that they wanted so much information just so I could get out of the organization. If it wasn't for such a high proportion of idealistic, wide-eyed incoming med students still convinced that they are going to save the world, the AMA would cease to exist...and that would be a great thing.

 

[CoffeeCzar]

I agree.

It would be a different story if the AMA actually stood up for physicians and medical students. With all the other interest goods trying to legislate themselves benefits, it would be very nice to have a group that would lobby for physician autonomy and our self preservation. We are not slaves. The federal government should not assume they can provide insurance to 30 million more Americans without actually paying us a wage that accounts for increasing costs of medical education and inflation.

Unfortunately, the AMA doesn't stand up for physicians. They support a health care bill that does a ton to help politicians to get reelected, but essentially zero for doctors.

Raise taxes on most doctors so they can pay their patients to see them? Thanks AMA.

 

[Neuro Surg]

We all just got sold out by the AMA.

 

[ar2388]

there are people in the AMA who support the health care bill and just because the ones who do not support it are being so much more vocal about it doesnt mean you can assume that you represent us all

 

[Perrotfish]

I agree.

It would be a different story if the AMA actually stood up for physicians and medical students. With all the other interest goods trying to legislate themselves benefits, it would be very nice to have a group that would lobby for physician autonomy and our self preservation. .

Physicians have that in the lobbies for their specialties. The AAFP is the huge lobbiest group for Family Docs, The ACS is the huge lobbiest group for surgeons, etc. The AMA isn't a lobby or a union, they're a profesional organization, like the American Chemical Society.

 

[DrBowtie]

there are people in the AMA who support the health care bill and just because the ones who do not support it are being so much more vocal about it doesnt mean you can assume that you represent us all

You do realize the AMA supported the bill?

 

[DrBowtie]

Physicians have that in the lobbies for their specialties. The AAFP is the huge lobbiest group for Family Docs, The ACS is the huge lobbiest group for surgeons, etc. The AMA isn't a lobby or a union, they're a profesional organization, like the American Chemical Society.

The AMA definitely has a lobbying wing.

 

[ncguy2005]

A doctor told me that the government was holding the 21% medicare cut over doctor's heads to force them to favor reform. Is this an accurate statement?

 

[MedicineDoc]

The specialist dominated ama is largely at the root of the current health care crisis. primary care and specialty ratios ideally should be 50/50. Secondary to the ama advising the center for medicare services on the rvus inflating procedures over primary care work of evaluation and management medical students stopped going into primary care. Now we have a 70/30 specialist/PCP mix driving health care cost higher incentivizing specialist to perform expensive procedures that are questionable at best. Meanwhile here come the nps and pas. All thanks to the shortsighted specialty dominated ama and the cms asleep at the wheel. You are just reaping what your specialist predeccesors planted after it became clear how ridiculous things had become the driver woke up. Do you really think the ama could go on "playing that game"?

 

[deleted87716]

A doctor told me that the government was holding the 21% medicare cut over doctor's heads to force them to favor reform. Is this an accurate statement?

No. There is no SGR fix in the reform bill.

 

[tncekm]

After the AMA pledged its support for the first health care reform package last year, I contacted them letting them know exactly how I felt about that.

Kudos to you.

When they kept slamming me with membership requests, I was very tempted to write a blistering email to them. Then I realized that medicine is a small community, and I really don't feel like rubbing anybody the wrong way just yet. I need to be around long enough to make friends before I make enemies, ya know. Ha, ha.

One of the things I'm most excited about doing when I get my MD is screaming at politicians and worthless organizations like the AMA.

 

[mig2k]

I don't think any of my attendings from residency or fellowship are part of the AMA. Mentioning them just brings disdain and bitterness. I dropped my membership years ago.

 

[JackoB]

I just quit that worthless organization.