And even more remarkable, they found NO DIFFERENCE in physician attitudes toward private health insurance compared to Medicare (a single payer, government run program) with respect to: Physician autonomy in making medical decisions for their patients, or Getting their patients the care they need.

Physicians felt they had just as much freedom to make medical care decisions for their patients and meet their patients' health care needs under Medicare, as they did under private insurance.

The opponents of reform would have you believe that physicians do not like so called “government run health care” and they argue that physicians have always been opposed to any kind of government-run, single payer program.

But once again, the opponents are wrong. Physicians by wide margins prefer a reformed system with the choice of a public option.

The survey found that primary care physicians (65.2%) are just as likely to support offering the choice of a public plan, as are specialists (64.7%), and surgeons (59.4%).

The survey found that physicians who practice in their offices (61.5%) are just as likely to support the public option as those who are based in hospitals (64.9%).

In addition, physicians who are members of the AMA (62.2%) are just as likely to support the public option as those who are not members (63.2%).

And a majority of ALL physicians in every region of the US - North, South, East, West, Mountain and Central -- supported healthcare reform with a public option offered alongside private health insurance plans.

Physicians, we need your voices now more than ever to let your elected representatives know that, as the front line for the delivery of health care, you want a robust public option open to any American who wants it.

No trigger.

No limiting the public option to the currently uninsured and those in small business. It should be open to those who are underinsured or any American who is unhappy with their coverage. Everyone should be offered the opportunity to CHOOSE between private plans and the public plan option.

All of the rumors about how physicians don’t want to practice under a public plan are untrue and unfounded. Just more lies to try to scare you.

The majority of the American people want a robust public option. And the majority of US physicians want a robust public option.

When you go to see your doctor over the next few weeks, tell them if you support the public option and why. And ask them if they support it. And if they do, encourage them to let their Senators, Congressional representative and President Obama know how they feel.

In the past, physicians and the AMA have often been the biggest obstacle to reform. This new study suggests that they may be our greatest allies.



This is not the time to weaken the public option, but rather to strengthen it!

Now is not the time to cave on the public option, but to fight for it like there is no tomorrow.



The truth is that without the public option to compete with private insurers and hold down the costs of health care and give the American people the choice of a health insurance plan they know they can count on and that will never be taken away, health care reform is nothing more than another give away to the for-profit health plans and pharmaceutical industry.

Fired up! Ready to go!