Tenuous support may unravel as compromise is negotiated

The Boston Globe reports:

The American Medical Association’s announcement this week that its member doctors supported the Senate health insurance legislation was widely seen as a key endorsement that helped sew up passage of the historic bill yesterday.

But the announcement was not as unequivocal as it appeared. The AMA president-elect, Dr. Cecil B. Wilson, told the Globe that “support’’ was not the same as an “endorsement’’ and that the group will withhold final judgment as it lobbies for further changes in a House and Senate compromise.

The AMA’s nuanced stance underscores a political problem facing President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress: even where they have cut deals with lobbying groups and advocates, support for the health care overhaul remains fragile.

Tentative agreements could unravel early next year as House and Senate members try to bridge differences in their bills on issues ranging from taxes to abortion to physician payment scales, with every move endangering the coalition needed to pass the legislation.