APMA Reiterates Its Commitment to 10 Principles of Health-Care Reform

BETHESDA, Md., June 23 -- The American Podiatric Medical Association issued the following news release:

As the Senate considers its version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the American Podiatric Medical Association, representing the vast majority of the nation's more than 17,000 podiatric physicians, reaffirms its commitment to the following principles of health-care reform:

* APMA recognizes the importance of improving access to health care for uninsured and underinsured Americans.

* APMA supports health-care reform proposals that result in universal access to and coverage of health care for all Americans.

* APMA supports proposals that expand coverage through a mixture of public and private funding and delivery sources.

* The interest of the patient must remain a primary focus in any health-care system and the physician-patient relationship must be protected. Physicians should retain autonomy in meeting the health-care needs of their patients.

* Health-care reform proposals should avoid providing payers with an unfair concentration of power. Retaining the patient's freedom of choice and the physician's freedom to determine appropriate care for the patient are of paramount importance.

* Health-care reform proposals must be presented with full and fair disclosure of the costs involved in implementing the proposal. The financial impact of proposals must be calculated and the means for funding the proposal should be identified.

* Health-care reform proposals should be based on the principles of a free market economy, which would better ensure appropriate reimbursement levels for providers, efficient administrative systems, and reasonable pricing for consumers.

* Physicians should be actively involved in the development of medical policies, and those participating in managed care plans should be free, and without fear of reprisal, to voice their opinions regarding all policies and procedures of the plan, including those related to credentialing, medical review, and quality assurance.

* Legislation for health system reform should ensure sufficient and continuing support for programs and facilities that serve underserved populations that otherwise lack the financial means to pay for their health care.

* Health-system reform should include tort reform.

APMA members adopted these principles in 2007, and they remain of paramount importance to the development of any constructive health-system reform.

"APMA will continue to advocate for reform that will advance access to care provided by a podiatrist, particularly for underserved populations," said Executive Director and CEO James R. Christina, DPM. "We support our legislators on both sides of the aisle as they weigh complex issues that will affect millions of individual Americans and the health of our nation."