Doctors for America

Doctors for America is a group of physicians and medical students in the United States in support of health care reform and President Barack Obama. Organized as Doctors for Obama during the 2008 presidential election with approximately 10,000 members, the group changed its name to Doctors for America in spring 2009 and launched multiple campaigns to promote physician engagement in the health reform debate.^[1]

The group stated that it had a membership of 14,000 and a presence in all 50 states in September 2009. The "four policy pillars" of the organization are expanding health insurance to all Americans; ensuring high-quality 21st-century care; expanding access to care; and improving practice environments for physicians in order to help them focus on improving patient care. The organization partnered with the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Student Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and other organizations to promote health reform legislation in Congress to issue an July 30, 2009 open letter to all members of Congress publicly announcing their support for health reform legislation.^[2]

Some commentators stated that this large coalition of doctors (the organizations collectively represented nearly 450,000) provided an important counterweight to the American Medical Association's organization's initial opposition to health reform in 2009;^[3] later AMA statements supported health reform in principle.^[4][5]

Doctors for America also organized a website, Voices of Physicians (www.voicesofphysicians.org), which allowed physicians to publicize their frustrations with the current health system and their recommendations for improvement,^[6] and organized house meetings of physicians across the country to talk about health reform,^[7] and interactive web talks with figures such as Jacob Hacker and Howard Dean,^[8] and participated in White House meetings on health reform.^[9]

References

1. ^ http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0509/Doctors_for_America_launches.html
2. ^ http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/media/releases/newsreleases-statements-2009/heal-health-care-now.html
3. ^ http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/06/15/the-ama-doesnt-represent-doctors/
4. ^ http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/ama-affirms-support.shtml
5. ^ http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/obama-health-reform-address.shtml
6. ^ http://www.voicesofphysicians.org/
7. ^ http://www.drsforamerica.org/calendar/
8. ^ http://www.drsforamerica.org/learnmore.php
9. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streamed-and-Interactive-at-230-Health-Reform-Stakeholder-Meeting-with-Physicians/

External links

• Doctors for America official website
• Voices of Physicians official website