AMA backs health reform legislation

The American Medical Association (AMA) voted last month to endorse Norwood-Dingell, a healthcare reform bill that would grant consumers the right to sue their health maintenance organisations (HMOs) for improperly denying services.

The bill, named after its joint sponsors (representatives Charles Norwood, a Georgia Republican, and John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat), gives consumers the right to sue in a state court for both compensatory and punitive damages.

According to the AMA's president, Thomas Reardon, the main concern of members is the patient. “A physician should make healthcare decisions, not …