Physicians at the AMA House of Delegates meeting on June 19 spent almost 3 hours debating whether the AMA should continue to support the so-called individual mandate. That mandate, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, would require Americans to purchase health insurance coverage.
Photo credit: Alicia Ault
Delegates wait in line to express their opinions about the individual mandate.
On the pro side, physicians argued that having health insurance had been shown to equate with longer and healthier lives. On the con side, many doctors said that the mandate would take away individual freedom and possibly result in the collapse of the insurance market.
Elsewhere at the meeting, physicians talked about gay marriage and civil unions, and whether Medicaid should be converted to a block grant program. They also discussed a physician's right to counsel patients about gun use.
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