Thursday, November 5, 2009 3:40 PM

AARP, AMA Endorse House Health Care Bill

As the House's version of health care reform legislation approaches a floor vote, the AARP and the American Medical Association, two groups that represent significant voices in the health care debate, endorsed the bill today.

At a press conference this afternoon, President Obama expressed the significance of the endorsements and thanked the groups for their support ahead of the House's scheduled Saturday vote on the bill.

"We are closer to passing this reform than ever before," Obama said, according to the AP. "Now that the doctors and medical professionals of America are standing with us, now that the organizations charged with looking out for the interests of seniors are standing with us, we are even closer."

The AARP officially endorsed the House's health care reform bill at a press conference this morning, after months of supporting the process but holding out on an endorsement.

"The House plan includes comprehensive health care reform and ensures that people on Medicare will have access to their doctors -- the doctors they need, when they need them -- and that people under 65 will have affordable health care when they need it," AARP CEO Barry Rand said. "This bill achieves many of the priorities and many of the goals that we have focused on since we began the latest fight two years ago on health care reform."

AARP has faced push-back from members over its involvement in health care reform discussions, as seniors express worries that legislation would cut Medicare benefits.

Rand said that the group decided to endorse the House's bill after determining that it would make Medicare a "better, stronger program for people to rely."

AARP has not endorsed the Senate's version of health care reform. John Rother, executive vice president of policy and strategy at AARP, said the group is still waiting to see a final version of the Senate's bill, but is concerned that it may not include key provisions that are in the House's bill, like measures to "protect affordability" and to close Medicare's prescription drug program "doughnut hole."

The AMA endorsed passing the House's health care reform bill concurrently with the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act.

The House's version of health care reform "is consistent with our principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of physician practice and universal access," said AMA president J. James Rohack in a statement. "It will significantly expand health insurance coverage to Americans to empower patient and physician decision making; institute meaningful insurance market reforms; make substantial investments in quality; institute prevention and wellness initiatives; provide incentives to states that adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer liability reforms, and reduce administrative burdens."