OCTOBER 24, 2012
AMAC lends support for repeal of ObamaCare provision that dictates procedure to physicians
Boosts SCOPE Act in House of Representatives to limit 'unbridled' government control of patient care
BOHEMIA, New York - "It's a nightmare scenario," said Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens. "A layman, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, gets the power to make life and death decisions on how our doctors care for us."
Yet, Weber points out, Section 1311 in ObamaCare states plainly that the Secretary has the authority to regulate contracts between qualified health plans and health care providers based on findings of health care quality. "In other words, a government appointee, not our own physicians, gets to determine what's good for what ails us," according to Weber.
"We cannot tolerate this dangerous intrusion and so we wholeheartedly support the SCOPE Act [Safeguarding Care Of Patients Everywhere Act], which points out that ObamaCare gives the Secretary unbridled, far-reaching powers," the AMAC chief noted.
As the legislation describes it, ObamaCare lets the Secretary "make findings regarding the quality of medical care and the activities that constitute the legitimate practice of medicine." And, on the basis of these findings, the law gives the Secretary discretionary authority to "terminate or limit the ability of medical providers" to employ certain procedures in caring for patients.
In a letter to Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey, who is also a medical doctor as well as a sponsor of the bill to repeal the ObamaCare provision, Weber wrote:
"As the Federal government relentlessly seeks to exert and expand its power over our country's health care, AMAC supports the SCOPE Act's bold legislative initiative to reign in the excesses of the PPACA [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]. AMAC also believes this legislation is vital to maintaining the authority of state medical boards in preventing the Federal government from making arbitrary decisions about what constitutes 'quality care,' and to preserving the doctor-patient relationship."
The Association of Mature American Citizens www.amac.us is a vibrant, vital and conservative alternative to those traditional organizations, such as AARP, that dominate the choices for mature Americans who want a say in the future of the nation. Where those other organizations may boast of their power to set the agendas for their memberships, AMAC takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests, and offering a conservative insight on how to best solve the problems they face today.
