AMA Reportedly Willing to Accept Some of Clinton Health Proposals

WASHINGTON — The American Medical Assn. has told the White House that it will drop opposition to some of President Clinton’s health care proposals, a published report says.

In exchange, the AMA is asking for a role in the policy group led by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as she works on changing the American medical system, the New York Times reported in today’s editions.

In a letter sent to Ira Magaziner, an assistant to Mrs. Clinton, the group signaled its willingness to yield on a number of health care issues, including spending limits on health care, managed care and price and practices reviews by a national health board, the newspaper reported.

It said the AMA did put caveats on some of those items. And some, like the proposal for a “global budget,” would still be opposed, the paper said.

The “global budget” would set a strict limit on the amount the nation spends on health care. The newspaper said the AMA would support a cap plan, under which doctors would accept national or regional health-care spending limits if it was allowed input.

Robert Boorstin, a White House spokesman on health care, was quoted as saying the Administration “welcomes the participation of the AMA, as we always have.”