AMA: Dem. Health Plan Hurts Small Business

" Also joining is where is very busy day Tyler -- and portfolio manager for built more capital and their she has her very own stocks editor Liz MacDonald. -- health care is on the top of the agenda today and we had the first reaction to the house Democrats healthcare plan. From the American Medical Association we're joined now for a Fox Business exclusive. By the president of the AMA doctor James -- hawk doctor what's your reaction to what you've heard today from Nancy Pelosi. Well we are very committed to health system reform that's going to work for patients as well as physicians who care for them. We're pleased that the public option has negotiated rates it is not tied to. Fatally flawed Medicare payment formula that we've been trying to get fixed for the last seven years. There's a number of doctors group decide georgians seems like it's -- split among the medical community. Whether about any of this is is pro word on what your overall take you want. This kind of healthcare reform. We believe that all Americans should have affordable quality health insurance coverage because it makes sense for our nation. To avoid the cost shifting of people that are uninsured having to go to the emergency room. For their health care which then everybody pays for so what work committed to is to say let's create a better system. So that we can get rid of the preexisting conditions so that you try and get health insurance because you needed. It'll covered. And pay for the medical care that you you deserve because of the premium Japan for."

" doctor a lot of taxpayers in this country do not believe the numbers coming out. Of the White House and congress says term terms of the cost of the bill in other words in 1997. Congress said they would cut. Medicare and other words cut the fraud and the waste out of it. That never happened in other words the Medicare costs actually went up do you believe that deficit X estimates coming out. On from the CBO and from the congress and from the White House about how much this bill will really cost taxpayers."

" Well we know that right now we spend about 2.4 trillion dollars. This year in health care and that is going to in ten years go to four point eight trillion unless we do some things. So status quo really isn't going to be affordable for any small business to continue to have their workers covered. And let's face it you need to have healthy workers to be productive. In in America so. We're committed because we believe. That we have the number one recognize the federal government through the Medicare program and its payment formulas are really threatening access for seniors and military families starting. January 1 of this year with a 21% cut to physicians. Many physicians are small businesses they're not going to be able to stay open. With a 21 and a half percent cut starting January 1 again and again -- being referred to doctor if the doctor fix and the problem with the doctor fixes like you said that you're gonna go when they're negotiate and I'm not quite sure. You know I was always taught business want to -- you negotiate from power from a position of strength and yet the government can kind of dictate to you what they're going to pay. But this doctor take what they weren't going to cut the pay of doctors. By that massive amount because they knew that doctors would stop seeing Medicare stopped seeing patients but instead it added 200 some billion dollars to the bill. So what's your position on this doctor fix. Well we believe it as we have said for the last seven years that congress needs to quit. The band aids and be accountable for the true budget. What congress is done is created a formula that's based in the 1990s. Hasn't changed that and it's based on -- analyzing doctors for caring for patients on the outpatient side. Rather than putting them in the hospital so what we want to do is reflect budget reality. And that we are keeping people out of the hospital keeping them help here. And position should be paid for that so they can keep their offices open and be viable and all right doctor -- president of the AMA thank you so much for joining us today."