e: AMA approves doctors’ union----good for us?

[Guest guest]

Does this mean the doctors can be protected from the drug companies that

watch over thier prescriptions and " force " them to use the drugs by

reporting their prescription rates?

Could it be possible that this union would be a good thing for us?

When I asked a doc for a medical exemption for my granddaughter who has

allergies, he said " No way! I have to make a living, I have to feed my

family. " He was expressing fear of some kind of a " Big Borther " who could

ruin him if he came out against vaccinations. He did take all the stuff I

had printed off this List, however!

At 05:45 AM 7/12/99 EDT, you wrote:

> http://www.msnbc.com/news/283186.asp#BODY

>clip >>Summers said a labor organization is necessary “to protect the rights

>of American physicians and to protect their patients.”

>

>clip >>“We are care givers. We are professionals. The banner that we must

>carry for our patients is not the union label; it is the oath we took when we

>became physicians,” she said.

>

>Tonya

>Article is below....................

>

>AMA approves doctors’ union

>

>Labor group intended to help physicians negotiate with managed care

>Dr. Arthur Lurvey of Los Angeles and other delegates attending the American

>Medical Association's annual meeting applaud after the AMA vote Wednesday.

>

>

>MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

>

>June 23 — In a move described as a defining moment in the changing shape of

>organized medicine, the American Medical Association voted Wednesday to back

>the formation of a national union of doctors to give the profession more

>negotiating power with managed-care companies.

>

> “THIS WILL NOT be not be a traditional labor union,” said AMA

>president-elect Dr. Randolph Smoak. “Your doctors will not strike or endanger

>patient care. Our objective here is to give America’s physicians the leverage

>they now lack to guarantee that patient care is not compromised or neglected

>for the sake of profits.”

> The vote by the 494-member House of Delegates came on the fourth day

>of the AMA’s annual five-day meeting and was taken by a show of hands. The

>total was not released, but AMA leaders called it a clear majority.

> The national union would support the formation of local bargaining

>units for the minority of doctors who are employees of HMOs and other

>managed-care companies. Federal law bars doctors who are not employees from

>forming unions in the traditional sense.

> Self-employed doctors would not be involved unless Congress gives them

>collective-bargaining rights. Such legislation is now pending in Congress.

> Many doctors argued that the AMA should wait for passage of the

>federal measure, which would free independent doctors from antitrust laws

>that prevent them from forming unions.

>

>HEATED DEBATE

> During the impassioned debate, some doctor delegates attacked the

>workload and financial pressures put on them by health maintenance

>organizations and other managed-care companies in the name of cost cutting.

>Others questioned whether moving toward unionization was a step back from

>professionalism.

> “Words do matter. We are not mere laborers, we are servants,” said Dr.

> Wynn of Fort Worth, a member of the Texas delegation, who opposed the

>measure that was later adopted.

>

>

> NBC's Bazell reports on the impact of managed care.

>

>

> “We are care givers. We are professionals. The banner that we must

>carry for our patients is not the union label; it is the oath we took when we

>became physicians,” she said.

> But Dr. Holtzman of , N.J., said, “We should strongly

>tell the country that we don’t like the current system of health care

>delivery and we need to recover it.”

>

>‘PAWNS’ IN THE PROCESS

> A delegate representing the National Association of Medical Examiners

>said doctors in the managed care era are taking orders from people with no

>medical training, and a delegate from Illinois said some doctors are forced

>to see a new patient every 10 minutes to meet quotas, becoming “pawns” in the

>process.

> “My profession is being crushed under the rocks of rules and

>regulations, government influence, HMOs,” said Dr. Jack L. Summers of Akron,

>Ohio. “I need help to fight back.”

> Summers said a labor organization is necessary “to protect the rights

>of American physicians and to protect their patients.”

> According to a survey released by the AMA last month, the average

>earnings of U.S. doctors increased only 0.3 percent between 1996 and 1997,

>reaching $199,600. Before managed care came into fashion a decade or so ago,

>earnings were increasing at about 10 percent a year.

> “This has been one of the house’s finest hours,” said Dr.

>Corland, who presided over the debate. “This truly has been a defining

>moment. I believe history will regard it was a good defining moment.”

>

> The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC’s Mike Jensen contributed to

>this report.

>

>

>

>---------------------------