National Legislative Activities
Medical liablity reform
Medicare payment reform
Uninsured/access to care
Patient safety
Antitrust
Education & research funding

National legislative activities

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Expanding coverage for the uninsured and increasing access to care

The AMA is committed to leading the response of America's physicians to solve the health coverage crisis for all patients and will work to build political pressure for action on both coverage and access to care.

We will advocate for and create awareness about our proposal to expand medical coverage for the uninsured. We will lead the charge to move the system toward affordable coverage that is individually owned and chosen by each patient or family, with financial assistance for those with low incomes.

State Children's Health Insurance Program

Congress created the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 as a state-federal partnership to bridge the safety net gap for low-income children who are ineligible for Medicaid but still lack private health insurance. SCHIP was authorized for ten years; the program must be reauthorized by Congress by November 15, 2007, to allow for continued federal funding. The SCHIP reauthorization is likely to be the main health bill in this session of Congress.

Covering the uninsured is a top priority for the AMA, and covering America’s uninsured children is the first step. The AMA strongly supports SCHIP reauthorization this year. The AMA’s top priority for SCHIP reauthorization is to ensure that funding is adequate to support enrollment of and provision of necessary services to all children who are eligible for the program. We also support funding to allow states to maximize outreach activities and enrollment, and to simplify and streamline state enrollment procedures.

Legislative activities