WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is trumpeting an endorsement from the AARP and support from the American Medical Association for House Democrats' health care legislation.
Making a rare appearance at the White House briefing Thursday, Obama told reporters that the support from the groups is no small accomplishment. He urged Congress to listen to the AARP and AMA and pass the health care overhaul.
Obama says AARP, the nation's premier lobbying group for the elderly, has looked at the bill and is supporting it in the interest of seniors.
He also says the AMA wouldn't be supporting the bill it if would lead to health decisions being made by government bureaucrats or damage doctor-patient relationships. He says those medical professionals have seen firsthand the costs of inaction on health care.
The AARP gave the legislation a major boost days before a historic vote after it officially endorsed the House Democratic health care bill.
AARP Senior Policy Adviser John Rother said Thursday that the 40-million strong organization backs the House bill. He said the measure closes the coverage gap in Medicare prescription benefits, puts strict limits on what health insurers can charge older workers too young for Medicare and creates a voluntary, long-term care insurance program.
Officials with the seniors lobby said the organization lost 150,000 members since July 1st because of the group's support for health overhaul. But in that time, it also registered 2.7 million new members and renewals. Officials said they were confident their members would see the bill's benefits.
Meantime the American Medical Association says it supports the bill but it can't give a full endorsement yet.
AMA President Dr. James Rohack said Thursday that the bill is not perfect, but it meets enough of the organization's goals to deserve support, and said the legislation should move forward. But Rohack said it's also critical for Congress to fix a Medicare payment formula that if left unchanged would lead to a 20 percent cut in fees to doctors next year.
House Democratic leaders are moving a separate measure dealing with the payment problem, alongside the health overhaul bill. But the cost of the fix — about $240 billion over 10 years — has been giving many lawmakers second thoughts.
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