Health News

AMA Adopts Policy Promoting Health Equity As a Goal

FRIDAY, Aug. 24, 2018 — The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has adopted a policy that sets health equity as a goal for the U.S. health care system, according to a report published in the organization’s AMA Wire.

The action, taken at the 2018 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago, is in accordance with the recommendations of a Health Equity Task Force that was formed in response to a previous resolution of the House of Delegates.

The new policy states that optimal health for all (health equity) is a goal toward which the AMA will work by advocating for health care access, research and data collection, and promoting equity in care. The AMA is directed to develop an organizational unit to facilitate, coordinate, initiate, and track AMA health equity activities. The strategic framework for the AMA activity would be to advocate for universal health care access; promote equity in care; increase diversity and cultural awareness or competency in the health workforce; influence determinants of health; and model commitment to health equity.

“We believe all Americans should have access to affordable and meaningful health care,” AMA board member Willarda V. Edwards, M.D., M.B.A., said in the report. “By stepping back, cutting through the rhetoric, and working collaboratively, we can ensure meaningful access to care for all Americans and improve the health of our nation.”

More Information

Posted: August 2018

Source: Read Full Article