President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of six-term Congress member Tom Price (R-Ga.) for secretary of health and human services has inflamed the medical community bigly this week, causing widespread and bitter infighting.
Price is not a particularly shocking pick by Trump—the Congressman is one of the fiercest Obamacare critics, and Trump vowed during his campaign to quickly repeal and replace the mammoth healthcare law. Beyond that, Price, a former orthopedic surgeon, has maintained strong conservative positions on healthcare policy. He opposes abortion rights and regulations on tobacco, for instance. But he also belongs to a small, fringe, ultra-conservative and conspiracy-laden group called the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Among other things, this group decries evidence-based medicine, Medicare, and Medicaid, plus it has peddled discredited, dangerous notions including that vaccines cause autism.
In light of some or all of those facts, many in the medical community were left aghast and fuming by support of Price’s nomination from top medical associations, namely the powerful American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In the past few days, thousands of doctors have signed letters and petitions, condemned the groups’ support, and publicly quit the AMA. The hashtag #NotMyAMA has gathered steam on Twitter.
An online protest letter, titled “The AMA Does Not Speak for Us,” was signed by more than 3,800 doctors as of Friday. In it, the doctors briefly pick apart Price’s clear record of supporting the dismantling of Medicare and Medicaid, not supporting the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as opposing the ACA, which provided coverage for 20 million Americans.
It concludes:
The AMA’s vision statement includes “improving health outcomes” and “better health for all,” and yet by supporting Dr. Price’s candidacy — and therefore, his views — the AMA has not aligned itself with the well-being of patients. As physicians, we challenge the AMA’s position by affirming our commitment to our patients above all else.
The National Physicians Alliance and the American Medical Student Association also opposed Price’s nomination. In the NPA’s opposition statement, it noted: “We are dismayed that other large physician organizations have endorsed Dr. Price without consideration of the harm his policies would inflict on our collective patients.”
Amid the backlash, the AMA, which lauded Price on Tuesday as “a leader in the development of health policies to advance patient choice and market-based solutions,” doubled down in its support. In a lengthier position statement released Thursday as a response to protests, the association explained that it valued Price’s nomination because he is a former physician and has been open to discussion with the AMA in the past.
“We must be realistic,” the AMA said in a Facebook post linking its second support statement. “The election is now over, and as happens in every election, one candidate won and now must choose his Cabinet. And as a non-partisan organization, the AMA has an obligation to work with the incoming administration and strive to find common ground.”
In its endorsement of Price’s nomination, the AAMC expressed similar sentiments, saying: “Rep. Price understands firsthand the work and challenges faced by our nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals… We are confident that Rep. Price will bring a thoughtful, measured approach to tackling the wide range of issues affecting the nation’s health…”
Executive director of the fringe AAPS Jane Orient—who was largely behind conspiracies about Hillary Clinton’s health during the election and has written for Breitbart news—told Ars that the organization also supports Price. “It is good to have a nominee who understands how Medicare rules are affecting patients and physicians and who supports free markets,” she said in an e-mail.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Ars’ comment request.
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