Obama strengthens pitch for health care at AMA

CHICAGO -- President Obama told wary doctors Monday that the nation's health system is "a ticking time bomb for the federal budget" and said those who call his plan for a taxpayer-funded coverage option a step toward a government takeover of health care "are not telling the truth."

Obama told the American Medical Association the time is right to overhaul the system and acknowledged how difficult it will be. "You'll hear warnings about socialized medicine ... long lines and rationed care, decisions made by bureaucrats and not doctors," he said.

AMA leaders said they share Obama's goal of covering the nation's more than 46 million uninsured people, but some members of the group said they have qualms about the details.

Obama said a public plan would not be "a Trojan horse for a single-payer system" in which government regulates all health care.

At a news conference after the speech, outgoing AMA president Nancy Nielsen focused on areas of agreement. Like Obama, "the AMA is committed to covering all Americans through health reform this year," she said. Nielsen praised Obama's promise to change medical liability laws, but there were boos when he said he doesn't support limits on malpractice awards, which the group has long sought.

The AMA, which has 250,000 members, opposed Medicare's creation and helped defeat President Clinton's proposed health-care retooling in 1993-94.

Obama also said:

•Without changes, the USA could end up like GM: "paying more, getting less, and going broke."

•His plan, which would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years, would be paid for by limiting tax deductions for the wealthiest Americans, making Medicare more efficient and giving its recipients more generic drugs, and reducing payments to hospitals for treating uninsured people.

•Insurance companies shouldn't be allowed to reject people with pre-existing medical conditions. Doctors responded with prolonged applause.

Some AMA members remained skeptical.

Doctors fed up with red tape are not "confident that the government's going to be able to take over the whole system and do any better," said J. Gregory Cooper, a Cynthiana, Ky., family doctor.