AMA Quits Group Fighting Medicare for All

The American Medical Association is quitting a coalition that opposes Medicare for All, The Hill reported.

The nation's main group for doctors said Thursday it will leave the industry group Partnership for America's Health Care Future, which has been running ads against Medicare for All and public option proposals from Democratic presidential candidates.

But AMA CEO Dr. James Madara said in a statement the AMA still opposes Medicare for All — it just wants to focus its energies on advocating for solutions, like improving Obamacare.

"The American Medical Association firmly believes that the best pathway to expand affordable, high-quality health insurance coverage to all Americans is through a mix of private and public health insurance options," he said in a statement. "We remain opposed to Medicare for All, and policies that reduce patient choice and competition, and are built on flawed financing policies."

The AMA is internally divided on whether to maintain its decades-long opposition to single-payer healthcare. Many young doctors tend to be more supportive of the idea than their older counterparts, The Hill reported.

"Practical solutions have been identified and continue to be championed by the AMA," Madara said. "The AMA decided to leave the Partnership for America's Health Care Future so that we can devote more time to advocating for these policies that will address current coverage gaps and dysfunction in our health care system."

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