The American Medical Association says President Donald Trump's claim that doctors are inflating coronavirus death reports for monetary gain is "completely misguided."
"The suggestion that that doctors — in the midst of a public health crisis — are overcounting COVID-19 patients or lying to line their pockets is a malicious, outrageous, and completely misguided charge,” AMA President Susan Bailey said in a statement Friday, reports The Hill.
She also pointed out in the statement, which does not mention Trump by name, that medical professionals have worked hard during the pandemic to treat patients "because duty called and because of the sacred oath they took."
Trump made the claim during a rally in Waterford Township, Mich., telling his supporters that "our doctors get more money if somebody dies from COVID. You know that, right? I mean our doctors are very smart people. So what they do is they say 'I'm sorry but everybody dies of COVID.'"
He also argued that other countries are putting a lesser emphasis on COVID deaths, saying that in the United States, "when in doubt, 'choose COVID.' It's true."
Trump also made similar claims last weekend in Wisconsin, when he said that doctors "get more money and hospitals get more money" if they list COVID-19 as a cause of death.
The AMA also criticized the Trump administration in August, when the federal government said tests are needed for asymptomatic people, as that would cause cases to spike.
Bailey also pointed out that coronavirus cases hit record highs this week, with 97,000 new infections on Friday.
“Rather than attacking us and lobbing baseless charges at physicians, our leaders should be following the science and urging adherence to the public health steps we know work — wearing a mask, washing hands and practicing physical distancing,” Bailey said.
CNN reports that according to doctors, if someone has a pre-existing condition and then contracts COVID and dies, the cause of death is listed as the underlying cause of death.
Meanwhile, Democrat nominee Joe Biden praised health-care professionals during a campaign stop in Minnesota and called on Trump to "stop attacking them and do his job."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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