Health is undoubtedly important to every single person who walks this planet and most people take it very seriously. Becoming a doctor or a medical professional is an honorable and respected job throughout this nation. Sometimes doctors cannot do what they need to do in order to successfully complete their task in making the world a healthier place one person at a time whether it is because of healthcare coverage, insurance, education or the government.
The major national-level policymaking institution that this group targets is the Department of Health and Human Services; where doctors, standards of treatment and medicine are the main backbone of this federal department.
One characteristic of the group is "having a voice for the uninsured" and increasing these peoples' access to care. This crisis was first truly uncovered when doctors around the nation realized the amounts of patients that really do not have coverage and pay out of pocket for treatment. 50 million people without healthcare coverage for their treatment, doctors visits and medicine is a "tragedy", the American Medical Association say. It influences the Department of Health and Human Services because it provides knowledge to this department with true statistics and aims as oppose for the department finding this information itself. The main objective for the Department of Health and Human Services is to protect the health of American citizens. The American Medical Association explains that this is not truly the case because of the amount of uninsured people in this nation. An Iron Triangle can be formed out of this crisis if the Department of Health and Human Services, American Medical Association and Congress all work together to provide adequate healthcare, improve the standards of living for American citizens and passing new laws pertaining to this "tragedy".
Another characteristic of the interest group is balance billing, when the physician is billing the patient what Medicare does not cover. But, Medicare strictly guards and limits how much a physician may balance bill their patients. Medicare is not fulfilling their job because more than half the doctors in this country say that they would not take on many new patients under Medicare because of balance billing. Balance billing influences the Department of Health and Human Services because of the fact that this interest group sheds light on this mostly covered up gray area of Medicare. With the power of the Department of Health and Human Services physicians are able to successfully perform their duties without worrying about how much Medicare will cover their patients. The Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes that their department is to protect the health of all American citizens will reliable health services but also to help people, medically, who cannot help themselves. The American Association's knowledge and support of this issue can directly influence the Department of Health and Human Services to work together with congress, again like an iron triangle; to get this issue resolved which would provide adequate treatment for Medicare patients as well.
Therefore, with the American Medical Associations knowledge and support of the Medical community in our nation, the Department of Health and Human Services can more adequately get their job done. This strong interest group stands by their word and will fight to achieve that they believe is right for our nation, medically and in a medical professionals respected point of view.
