Former AMA Presidents Offer Second Opinion

Conn Carroll / October 05, 2009

President Barack Obama pitched his health care reform plan, again, today this time in front of 150 doctors in the White House Rose Garden. Despite the fact that the invitation-only guest list drew heavily from a pro-government-run health plan group, Obama still took no questions and allowed no doctors to speak. Not invited to this health care discussion were Drs. Donald Palmisano, William Plested, and Daniel Johnson, who are all former presidents of the American Medical Association. They offered a slightly different diagnosis in the Wall Street Journal today:

We aren’t among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to “join the President in pushing for health insurance reform this year and [who] have offered their help and support,” as a White House press release put it. It’s unfortunate only supporters of the president’s plans will be there. Mr. Obama has missed an opportunity to learn more about the real issues facing patients and doctors and to formulate a plan that truly puts patients in control with doctors as trusted advisers. (more…)