The Nation : AMA Backs Mandated Health Insurance

The American Medical Assn., for the first time in its history, endorsed the concept of federally mandated, employer-provided health insurance. Under a proposal passed by delegates at the AMA’s annual policy-making convention in Chicago, the doctors group agreed to press for legislation calling for “a phased-in requirement that employers (limited initially to larger employers) provide health-insurance coverage within the private sector for all full-time employees, with coverage expanding over several years.” In addition, the delegates recommended a program of diminishing tax credits or other incentives to avoid adverse effects on employers. The policy also calls for the AMA to work with business groups to develop approaches on insurance that are best suited to the needs of small employers.