PAs for Health Freedom

June 12th the AAPA sent an urgent note to all AAPA members urging us to tell our Senators to “vote yes on the cloture motion to begin consideration of S. 3101.” The Cloture Motion was rejected (54-30, 7 not voting — go to this govt. site to see more on the bill).

The AAPA and the AMA are political groups with a political slant. But many of their members, ourselves included, feel that those political insights are shortsighted. The AAPA may feel any given certain bill is good for PAs, but what if it is bad for our country/communities in the long run.

Below is the e-mail I received from the AAPA (in case you did not get it):
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AAPA Members Urged to Contact Senators Today to Prevent Medicare Payment Cut!

Unless Congress acts within the next 13 legislative days, a 10.6 percent Medicare payment cut will take place on July 1. The Senate will take up a cloture motion to begin floor consideration, as early as June 12, to consider S. 3101, the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.” (Unless the cloture motion is passed, the Senate cannot consider the Medicare bill.) Introduced by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), S. 3101 would stop the physician payment cut and extend the current 0.5 percent update through the rest of this year and provide an additional 1.1 percent update during 2009. AAPA urges you to contact your Senators today with the message, vote yes on the cloture motion to begin consideration of S. 3101. You may send an e-mail to your Senators’ offices through AAPA’s Legislative Action Center at http://members.aapa.org/vocus/index.htm. Scroll down to “Current Issues” and click on PREVENT MEDICARE PAYMENT CUT to learn more and take action. You may also call your Senators, courtesy of the AMA’s Advocacy Hotline, at 1-800-833-6354. Thank you!

Direct from AAPA’s homepage:

All PAs and PA students are encouraged to seek ways to enhance the delivery of quality medical care in their local communities. One way is by becoming involved in national efforts like the Divided We Fail campaign.

So, who the heck is “Divided We Fail” (DWF)? They are an affiliate of AARP and have a clear agenda to establish socialized medicine. Click here to see one of their many commercials where they use children to lull your mind. Since when does the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) fight for the well-being of children anyway? Their logo and their site jargon use deceptively vague terms while they try to cull your support of socialized medicine. To quote DWF’s site,

Our leadership believes that Americans should have access to affordable, quality health care and peace of mind about long-term financial security.

I will let you read between the lines. Or better yet, visit their site.

Do you really think the AAPA should be pushing this group on our members? If not, join our group, as our numbers increase, so will our influence in the AAPA. Our goal is to keep the AAPA politically neutral.