It turns out that the AMA opposes the idea of a public health plan as reported by Robert Pear in the NY Times:

The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans.

Presumably by offering higher quality health insurance at a lower cost than private insurers. But when all of the private insurers are driven out of business the diabolical government will turn around and raise price leading to disaster.

”If private insurers are pushed out of the market, the group said, “the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.

But if this happens nothing will stop the private sector from reentering the market.

More likely, with government subsidies and mandatory health insurance, the already monopolistic private health insurers will use every opportunity to extract increased income from the government and the public. Sort of like the student loan providers do right now.

But at least it will be a private sector functionary who decides what sort of care you get.