The American Medical Association has declared its opposition to the elimination or watering down of Obamacare's required minimum health coverage benefits, CNBC reported on Tuesday.
The vote on the matter by the nation's largest physicians' group follows months of failed efforts by Republicans to repeal and replace major parts of Obamacare, which would have severely weakened the Affordable Care Act's so-called essential health benefits.
The GOP wanted to weaken the rules for essential health benefits coverage, which has been blamed for driving up premium prices, in order to allow insurers the ability to charge lower premiums to customers.
Essential health benefits include 10 categories that health insurance plans are currently required to cover, such as emergency services, hospitalization, pregnancy and newborn care, prescription drugs, lab service and preventative care.
The AMA explained that it opposes any weakening of the essential health benefits mandate due to a report by the organization's Council of Medical Service, which raised concerns about such a move.
"If insurers are allowed to offer plans with skimpier coverage, plan designs could potentially discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions," the report stated. "In addition, individuals who use services and benefits no longer included in the essential health benefits could face substantial increases in out-of-pocket costs."
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