SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 10:19AM
Survey: 73% of Doctors Favor Public Option
A New England Journal of Medicine survey released yesterday reveals that 73 percent of doctors favor a public option as a component of health care reform. Sixty-three percent favored a public option as part of a public-private mix of insurance options, while another 10 percent favored a single-payer system.
The survey, based on a sample derived of a comprehensive database of all U.S. doctors, showed solid support for a public option that cut across geography, specialty, and the business models of the practitioners. In the ironic tidbit department, the database was obtained from the American Medical Association, which opposes the public option. The AMA represents barely a third of all doctors, yet speaks as if it represents the entire sector in opposing this element of reform.