Late Sunday evening (3/21/2010) the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as well as the reconciliation bill, H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which contains additional refinements. Together, the two bills are viewed as the most important health care legislation since the creation of the Medicare program.

H.R. 3590 and the related reconciliation bill provides a historic opportunity to help millions of patients by extending coverage to 32 million Americans, improving competition and choice in the insurance marketplace, promoting prevention and wellness, reducing administrative burdens and protecting the fundamental principles of the patient-physician relationship. After carefully weighing the benefits and the shortcomings, the AMA announced its qualified support for passage of H.R. 3590 because we believe it will improve the ability of patients and their physicians to achieve better health outcomes.

The health system reform legislation remains an imperfect product. Action to permanently repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula was separated from health system reform legislation months ago. The AMA is engaged in active discussions with the Obama Administration as well as House and Senate leaders on bringing SGR legislation for a vote this spring in a separate piece of legislation.

There still is much work to be done and the AMA will be relentless in pursuit of the unfinished business of health system reform and empowering patients and physicians to improve the health of our nation.

Please stay tuned for further developments.