Resolution on Health Care Reform

The Catholic Medical Association (CMA) adopted a resolution on health care reform at the General Assembly of its 78th Annual Educational Conference, held in Springfield, Illinois, on October 23, 2009.
The resolution calls upon Congress and President Obama “to ‘reset’ the effort to enact health care reform legislation, to reexamine their commitment to the principles of the current legislation, and to begin the process anew.”
CMA President Louis Breschi, M.D. explained the need for the resolution this way: “As physicians, we are highly concerned by the direction health care reform legislation has continued to take. The whole thrust of the legislation voted out of congressional committees is flawed. It tries to fix the real problems we have in health care with massive new government spending and mandates.
According to CMA Executive Director John Brehany, Ph.D., flawed legislative provisions are not the only problem. Brehany stated, “The entire legislative process is being conducted behind closed doors and with undue haste that has nothing to do good law or sound solutions. Every week seems to bring news of more legislative tricks and new budget gimmicks. This is no way to reform health care. Patients and physicians both will suffer a great deal if we don’t get authentic reform.”
The resolution also urges legislators and President Obama to respect the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity, and the patient-physician relationship, as well as to exclude funding of abortion and to provide meaningful protection for the conscience rights of health care providers in any legislation.
The complete text of the resolution can be found here.

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