AMA Reportedly Willing to Accept Some of Clinton Health Proposals

The American Medical Assn. has told the White House that it will drop opposition to some of President Clinton’s health care proposals, a published report says.

In exchange, the AMA is asking for a role in the policy group led by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as she works on changing the American medical system, the New York Times reported in today’s editions.

In a letter sent to Ira Magaziner, an assistant to Mrs. Clinton, the group signaled its willingness to yield on a number of health care issues, including spending limits on health care, managed care and price and practices reviews by a national health board, the newspaper reported.

It said the AMA did put caveats on some of those items. And some, like the proposal for a “global budget,” would still be opposed, the paper said.

The “global budget” would set a strict limit on the amount the nation spends on health care. The newspaper said the AMA would support a cap plan, under which doctors would accept national or regional health-care spending limits if it was allowed input.

Robert Boorstin, a White House spokesman on health care, was quoted as saying the Administration “welcomes the participation of the AMA, as we always have.”