Medical billing code monopoly explains AMA's support for health plan, critics say

Chicago Tribune, December 28, 2009

As Democrats tout the American Medical Association's endorsement of their healthcare overhaul, critics are pointing to their sidestepping of a monopoly that sends millions into the trade group's coffers each year. The AMA holds the exclusive rights to the medical billing codes that doctors are required to use when they submit bills to insurance plans. It is a monopoly that critics say gets in the way of making healthcare less expensive and potentially more effective, the Chicago Tribune reports.