CHICAGO -- Should the American Medical Association (AMA) be advising its members on how they can stop accepting Medicare insurance and still stay in business? Members of the AMA House of Delegates seemed divided on that question here Sunday.

"I opted out of Medicare 9 years ago, and I've never been happier as a private-practice physician," said Rebekah Bernard, MD, of Fort Myers, Florida, speaking on behalf of the Florida delegation. "AMA has made Medicare payment reform our top priority, and yet ... there is very little political will to increase physician payment. Physicians need to be aware that we have the option of leaving this broken payment system, and perhaps if enough of us take that step, our legislators will hear our pleas to fix the Medicare payment model."

Bernard was spea

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