ACP promises to oppose Trump if policies hurt physicians

The American College of Physicians (ACP) said it sees both opportunities and challenges to working with President-elect Donald Trump, according to a post-election letter to its members.

ACP President and CEO Nitin Damle, MD, MS, said the results evoked “strong reactions” from members, though noting the ACR itself was and remains non-partisan. It promised to engage with the new administration, hoping to “find common ground” but also promising to speak up if Trump’s goals conflict with its own.

“If policies are proposed by the new administration or Congress that in our judgment would be detrimental to our profession and our patients, we won’t just seek to prevent them from being implemented, we’ll offer better alternatives,” Damle wrote.

Those goals include continuing the transition to value-based care and reducing the administrative burden on physicians, which Damle included on a list of areas where he felt the ACP and the Trump administration could work together. Other potential areas of agreement included: expanded access to telehealth, mental health services, and addiction treatment, supporting the transition to the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) payment tracks and changes to malpractice liability laws.

He also outlined areas where ACP is in conflict with the president-elect. That list included broader issues which the health effects of climate change and gun violence, as well as the ramifications of repealing the Affordable Care Act, which Trump and Republicans in Congress are planning to pass early in his term.

“While we will consider new approaches to help people get and keep coverage, the result should not be more Americans having to go without coverage or the loss of other key patient protections, such as removing the prohibition on health plans excluding or charging higher premiums to patients with pre-existing conditions,” Damle wrote.