American Medical Association#Criticisms and historical controversies

{{See also|List of presidents of the American Medical Association}}

In 1846, the organization created a committee dedicated to analyzing the methodology of vital records registration.{{cite journal |title=History of the birth certificate: from inception to the future of electronic data|journal=Journal of Perinatology |volume=32 |issue=6 |pages=407–411 |doi=10.1038/jp.2012.3 |pmid=22301527 |year=2012 |last1=Brumberg |first1=H. L. |last2=Dozor |first2=D. |last3=Golombek |first3=S. G.|s2cid=22453187 |doi-access=free }} It urged state governments to adopt measures to register births, marriages and deaths within their populations.{{cite book | author=American Medical Association | title=Journal of the American Medical Association | publisher=American Medical Association | issue=v. 23; v. 23 | year=1894 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vo81AQAAMAAJ | access-date=2024-07-26 | page=41}} In 1847, the American Medical Association was founded in Philadelphia by Nathan Smith Davis as a national professional medical organization. The organization educated people about the dangers of patent medicines and called for legislation regulating their production and sale. One resulting legislation was the Drug Importation Act of 1848.{{cite book | last=Zebroski | first=Bob | title=A Brief History of Pharmacy: Humanity's Search for Wellness | publisher=Routledge | date=2015-08-20 | isbn=978-1-315-68583-0 | doi=10.4324/9781315685830 | page=208}}

In 1848, the AMA began publishing Transactions of the American Medical Association, which included lists and reports of cases of physiological effects of ether and chloroform at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the New York Hospital and the clinics of the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College.{{cite web|access-date=2024-07-26|title=Civil War Medicine - Essential Civil War Curriculum|url=https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/civil-war-medicine.html|website=www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com}}

At the organization's second meeting in 1849, Thomas Wood suggested a committee on medical science to establish a board to analyze quack remedies and nostrums to be published in order to inform the public about the dangers of such remedies.{{cite book |title=Druggists' Circular |date=January 1907 |isbn=1374622338 |page=54 |publisher=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/druggistscircula51newyuoft/page/54/mode/2up}} The AMA's attempts to expose quack remedies aided the passage of the first Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.{{cite book | last1=Williams | first1=Simon J. | last2=Gabe | first2=Jonathan | last3=Davis | first3=Peter | title=Pharmaceuticals and Society | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | publication-place=Chichester, U.K.; Malden, MA | date=2009-02-09 | isbn=978-1-4051-9084-8 | oclc=244418357 | page=}}

The AMA Committee on Ethics advocated for recognition of qualified female physicians in 1869, and the AMA inducted its first female member, Sarah Hackett Stevenson, as an Illinois State Medical Society delegate in 1876.{{cite book|title=History of Women's Suffrage Trilogy – Part 1}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In 1872, the AMA's book Nomenclature of Diseases was published.{{Cite web |title=A nomenclature of diseases: with the reports of the majority and of the minority of the committee thereon : presented to the American Medical Association at the meeting held in Philadelphia, May 1872 - Digital Collections - National Library of Medicine |url=https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-31910070R-bk |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=collections.nlm.nih.gov |page=53}} In 1883, the AMA launched the Journal of the American Medical Association. The organization's founder, Nathan Smith Davis, served as the first editor of the publication.{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Global Health, Volume 1}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In 1897, the AMA was incorporated in the state of Illinois.{{cite book|title=The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 40, Part 2}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}

AMA pushed for laws requiring compulsory smallpox vaccinations in 1899.{{cite book|title=The Progressive Era's Health Reform Movement: A Historical Dictionary}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}} In 1899, the AMA appointed a committee to report on tuberculosis, including on its communicability and prevention.{{cite book|title=Gaillard's Medical Journal, Volumes 72-73}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}} The Committee on Tuberculosis presented its report in October 1900.{{cite book|title=Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 35, Part 2}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In 1901, the AMA was reorganized with its central authority shifted to a House of Delegates, a board of trustees, and executive offices. The House of Delegates was modeled after the United States House of Representatives and included representatives from medical organizations across the United States as a formal, reform-minded legislative body.{{cite book|title=A Companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era|author=Christopher M. Nichols|date=March 6, 2017}} The organization's new president appointed a Committee on Medical Education in order to evaluate medical education in the United States and make recommendations for its improvement.

The AMA's Committee on National Legislation established the Committee on Medical Legislation in 1901.{{Cite journal |last=Hamowy |first=Ronald |title=The Early Development of Medical Licensing Laws in the United States, 1875–1900 |url=http://austrianeconomics.org/sites/default/files/3_1_5_0.pdf |journal=The Journal of Libertarian Studies |date=1979 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=73–119 at 93 |pmid=11614768 |access-date=2019-09-29 |quote=The Committee on Medical Legislation was created by the AMA in 1901 as part of its drive to increase the political effectiveness of the profession both at the national and state levels. |mode=cs2 |archive-date=2019-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929201236/http://austrianeconomics.org/sites/default/files/3_1_5_0.pdf |url-status=dead }}

AMA created the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry in 1905 to set standards for drug manufacturing and advertising.{{cite book|title=The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 72, Issue 2|date=1919}} That same year, the AMA began a voluntary program of drug approval, which would remain in effect until 1955. Drug companies were required to show proof of the effectiveness of their drugs to advertise them in AMA's journal.{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/buyingusingmedicinesafely/understandingover-the-countermedicines/ucm093550.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710152510/http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/UCM093550.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2009|title=A History of the FDA and Drug Regulation in the United States|website=Fda.gov|access-date=20 May 2019}}

In 1906, the AMA established a Physician Masterfile designed to contain data on physicians in the United States as well as graduates of American medical schools and international graduates who are in the United States. Each file is established when an individual either enters medical schools or enters the United States.

The AMA established the Council for the Defense of Medical Research in 1908.{{cite book|title=Political Animals: Animal Protection Politics in Britain and the United States|author=Robert Garner|date=July 27, 2016}} AMA's Council on Medical Education and Hospitals first published its annual list of hospitals approved for internships in 1914.{{cite book|title=The Business of Private Medical Practice: Doctors, Specialization, and Urban Change in Philadelphia, 1900-1940|author=James A. Schafer|date=December 26, 2013}}

In May 1922, the Woman's Auxiliary to the AMA was organized.{{cite book|title=Kentucky Medical Journal, Volume 28|date=1930}} The following year, the AMA established standards for medical specialty training residency programs.{{cite book|title=Doctors in Community: The Training of Interns and Residents at Brackenridge Hospital, Austin, Texas|author=Christopher S. Chenault|date=July 26, 2017}} The AMA later published its first list of hospitals approved for residency training in 1927.{{cite book|title=Modern Concepts of Hospital Administration|author=Joseph Karlton Own|date=1962}}

In 1927, Congress passed the Caustic Poison Act, lobbied for by the AMA, which required product labels to include warnings if they included lye or 10 other caustic chemicals.{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/FOrgsHistory/EvolvingPowers/UCM593437.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425133653/https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/FOrgsHistory/EvolvingPowers/UCM593437.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 25, 2018|title=The Story of the Laws Behind the Labels|website=Fda.gov|access-date=20 May 2019}}

In 1933, the AMA's general medical guide the Standard Classified Nomenclature of Disease, (referred to as the Standard), was released.{{Cite journal |editor=Logie, H. B.|title=A Standard Classified Nomenclature of Disease |date=December 1933 |url=https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/Citation/1933/12000/A_Standard_Classified_Nomenclature_of_Disease.75.aspx |journal=The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |language=en-US |volume=78 |issue=6 |pages=679 |doi=10.1097/00005053-193312000-00075 |issn=0022-3018|doi-access=free }} Along with the New York Academy of Medicine, the APA provided the psychiatric nomenclature subsection.{{cite journal |vauthors=Greenberg SA, Shuman DW, Meyer RG |year=2004 |title=Unmasking forensic diagnosis |journal=International Journal of Law and Psychiatry |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.1016/j.ijlp.2004.01.001 |pmid=15019764}} A number of revisions were produced, with the last in 1961.{{Cite book |title=Standard nomenclature of diseases and operations |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1961 |editor-last=Thompson |editor-first=ET |edition=5th |location=New York |editor-last2=Hayden |editor-first2=AC}}

The Normal Diet, a comprehensive listing of what Americans should be eating, was published by the AMA in 1938.{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/american-medical-association-history/|title=History of American Medical Association – FundingUniverse|website=Fundinguniverse.com|access-date=20 May 2019}}

A formal partnership between the AMA and the Association of American Medical Colleges formed the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in 1942 in order to establish requirements for certification of medical schools.{{cite book|title=Continuing Medical Education: Looking Back, Planning Ahead|author=Dennis K. Wentz|date=2011}} In 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals was created through merging the Hospital Standardization Program with quality standards from the American College of Physicians, the American Hospital Association, and the American Medical Association.{{cite book|title=Practical Predictive Analytics and Decisioning Systems for Medicine|date=September 27, 2014}} The commission, established for evaluation and accreditation of healthcare organizations in the United States, governed by a board of commissioners including physicians, consumers and administrators.{{cite book|title=Cytology: Diagnostic Principles and Clinical Correlates|url=https://archive.org/details/cytologydiagnost0000ciba_3rd_edition|url-access=registration|author=Edmund S. Cibas|date=January 20, 2009|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences |isbn=9781416053293}}

The AMA publicly endorsed the principle of fluoridation of community water supplies in 1951.{{cite book|title=Descriptive Inorganic, Coordination, and Solid State Chemistry|author=Glen E. Rodgers|date=January 19, 2011}}

The AMA first published the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system in 1966. The system was created for uniform reporting of outpatient physician services. The first manual was 163 pages and contained only four-digit codes with descriptions of each.{{cite book|title=Understanding Current Procedural Terminology and HCPCS Coding Systems|author=Mary Jo Bowie|date=January 1, 2018}} A second edition of the book was published in 1970 with a fifth digit added.{{cite book|title=215 Coding Workbook for the Physician's Office|author=Alice Covell|date=January 29, 2015}}

The AMA published the first Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment in 1971. The guides were later republished in 1977 before the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs created 12 committees to review the guides before the second edition was published in 1984.{{cite book|title=Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation|author=Steven Babitsky|date=2011}}

In the 1970s, the AMA spoke out against gender discrimination in medical institutions.{{cite web |date=5 February 2013 |title=Facts About the American Medical Association (AMA) |url=https://www.medicalbag.com/home/business/facts-about-the-american-medical-association-ama/ |access-date=20 May 2019 |website=Medical Bag}} In 1975, the AMA adopted a policy stating that "discrimination based on sexual orientation is improper and unacceptable by any part of the federation of medicine."{{cite book|title=I Could Not Speak My Heart: Education and Social Justice for Gay and Lesbian Youth|date=2004}} It adopted a resolution to repeal all state sodomy laws.{{cite book|title=Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook|author=David E. Newton|date=October 27, 2009}} In 1976, the AMA began encouraging all public facilities to have handicap access.{{cite web|url=https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wmj201401.pdf|title=World Medical Journal|website=Wma.net|access-date=20 May 2019}}

The AMA released a survey in 1981 that found two short-term effects of dioxin on humans and recommended further studies. By 1983, the AMA accused the news media of conducting a "witch hunt" against the toxic chemical and launched a public information campaign to counter media hysteria.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/06/23/ama-votes-to-fight-dioxin-witch-hunt/61ce133e-7ce3-48cd-ace7-e86e41880b99/ |title=AMA Votes to Fight Dioxin 'Witch Hunt' |first=Philip J. |last=Hilts |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 23, 1983 |access-date=2019-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426153813/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/06/23/ama-votes-to-fight-dioxin-witch-hunt/61ce133e-7ce3-48cd-ace7-e86e41880b99/ |archive-date=2019-04-26 |url-status=dead }}

In May 1983, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that reviewed cases of childhood AIDS.{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bayer-aids.html|title=AIDS Doctors|website=Archive.nytimes.com|access-date=20 May 2019}}

A Federal district judge ruled that the AMA had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1987 by depriving chiropractors of access to the Association. The lawsuit, filed by four chiropractors, accused AMA of conspiring to prevent chiropractors from practicing in the United States.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/29/us/us-judge-finds-medical-group-conspired-against-chiropractors.html|title=U.S. Judge Finds Medical Group Conspired Against Chiropractors|last=Ap|date=29 August 1987|access-date=20 May 2019|website=The New York Times}}

The Journal of the American Medical Association first documented that Joe Camel cartoons reached more children than adults in December 1991. The Association called for the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to stop using the Joe Camel character in its advertising because of its appeal to youth.{{cite web|url=https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2014/07/29/10/58/advertising-and-promotion-of-alcohol-and-tobacco-products-to-youth|title=Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol and Tobacco Products to Youth|website=Apha.org|access-date=20 May 2019}}

In 1995, Lonnie R. Bristow became the first African-American president of the American Medical Association. Before he became president, Bristow was the first African-American member of the board of trustees and first African-American chairman of the board.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/22/us/man-in-the-news-black-leader-for-ama-dr-lonnie-robert-bristow.html|title=Man in the News; Black Leader for A.M.A. -- Dr. Lonnie Robert Bristow|first=Barnaby J.|last=Feder|date=22 June 1995|access-date=20 May 2019|website=The New York Times}}

In 1996, the AMA campaigned against health plan "gag clauses", which prohibited doctors from discussing with their patients treatments not covered by the plan, stating that the stipulations inhibit the communication of information and restrict the care doctors can give their patients. The clauses were removed from the contracts of five leading providers, and laws prohibiting such clauses were passed in 16 states.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/27/AMA-rips-gag-clauses-okays-AIDS-tests/7392835848000/|title=AMA rips gag clauses, okays AIDS tests|website=Upi.com|access-date=20 May 2019}}

In 1997, the AMA established the National Patient Safety Foundation as an independent, nonprofit research and education organization focused on patient safety.{{cite journal|title=The National Patient Safety Foundation Agenda for Research and Development in Patient Safety|first1=Jeffrey B.|last1=Cooper|first2=David M.|last2=Gaba|first3=Bryan|last3=Liang|first4=David|last4=Woods|first5=Laura N.|last5=Blum|journal=Medscape General Medicine|date=2000|volume=2|issue=3|pages=E38|pmid=11104484|url=https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/408064_2|access-date=2019-02-08}}

Nancy W. Dickey was named president of the American Medical Association in June 1998. She was the first woman to head the organization and had been part of AMA's leadership since 1977.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB955852789861044304|title=Former American Medical Association President Named as Editor of Medem|first=Ann|last=Carrns|work=WSJ.com|access-date=20 May 2019}}

In 2002, the AMA released a report that found a medical liability insurance crisis in at least a dozen states was forcing physicians to either close practices or limit services. The association called for Congress to take action and campaigned for national reform.{{cite web|url=https://www.ahcmedia.com/articles/79603-ama-states-are-in-crisis-of-liability-and-of-costs|title=AMA: States are in crisis of liability and of costs|website=Ahcmedia.com|date=August 1, 2002}}

In 2008, the AMA issued a formal apology for previous policies that excluded African-Americans from the organization and announced increased efforts to increase minority physician participation.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/health/11ama.html|title=Group Apologizes for Its Racial Bias|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 11, 2008}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-02 |title=The history of African Americans and organized medicine |url=https://www.ama-assn.org/about/ama-history/history-african-americans-and-organized-medicine |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=American Medical Association |language=en}}

The AMA officially recognized obesity as a disease in 2013 in an attempt to change how the medical community approaches the issue.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/ama-recognizes-obesity-as-a-disease.html|title=A.M.A. Recognizes Obesity as a Disease|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 18, 2013|author=Andrew Pollack}}

In 2015, the AMA declared there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. The Human Rights Campaign lauded the decision.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrc.org/blog/voters-reject-ted-cruzs-false-scare-tactics-against-trans-americans-campaig|title=Voters Reject Cruz's False Scare Tactics Against Trans Americans - Human Rights Campaign|first=Human Rights|last=Campaign|website=Human Rights Campaign|access-date=19 April 2018|archive-date=9 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709211825/http://www.hrc.org/blog/voters-reject-ted-cruzs-false-scare-tactics-against-trans-americans-campaig|url-status=dead}}

Patrice A. Harris became the AMA's 174th president in June 2019, the organization's first African-American woman to hold this position.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ama-assn.org/about/board-trustees/patrice-harris-md-ma|title=Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA {{!}} Board of Trustees President-elect {{!}} AMA|website=American Medical Association|language=en|access-date=2019-06-21}}

The AMA sponsors the Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, which is an influential group of 29 physicians, mostly specialists, who help determine the value of different physicians' labor in Medicare prices.

The AMA has one of the largest political lobbying budgets of any organization in the United States. Its political positions throughout its history have often been controversial.

Between 1998 and 2020, the association has spent an average of $18 million annually on lobbying efforts.{{cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-medical-assn/lobbying?id=D000000068|title=American Medical Assn: Lobbying|website=OpenSecrets|location=Washington, D.C.|language=en-US|access-date=2021-07-06}} In the first quarter of 2021, they reported $6.36 million in lobbying expenses.{{Cite web|title=LD-2 Disclosure Form|url=https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/950dc45a-2b67-4e14-9e24-9cc550aba0c1/print/|access-date=2021-07-06|website=lda.senate.gov}}

Over the period 1/1/2022 to 12/31/2023, the AMA's political action committee donated a total sum of $1,095,900 to 244/535 (45.6%) voting members of the 118th Congress.{{Cite journal |last=Muthukumar |first=Akila V. |last2=Shah |first2=Kavya M. |last3=Zhong |first3=Anthony |last4=Basu |first4=Gaurab |date=2025-01-14 |title=Climate Policy Positions of Federal Legislators Supported by the American Medical Association Political Action Committee |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-024-09305-5 |journal=Journal of General Internal Medicine |language=en |doi=10.1007/s11606-024-09305-5 |issn=1525-1497|url-access=subscription }} 87% of that sum went to House members. Democrats received $654,400 (59.7%) while Republicans received $441,500 (40.3%).

{{See also|Barriers to entry|Wilk v. American Medical Association|l2=Wilk v. American Medical Association}}

The AMA has at various points in history advocated for restricting the supply of physicians. In the early 20th century, the AMA lobbied lawmakers to shut down medical schools on grounds that they were substandard, which in turn reduced the supply of doctors.{{Cite journal |last=Blumenthal |first=David |date=2004-04-22 |title=New Steam from an Old Cauldron — The Physician-Supply Debate |url=http://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMhpr033066 |journal=New England Journal of Medicine |language=en |volume=350 |issue=17 |pages=1780–1787 |doi=10.1056/NEJMhpr033066 |pmid=15103006 |issn=0028-4793|url-access=subscription }} The AMA lobbied for reductions in physician supply during the Great Depression. In 1997, the AMA lobbied Congress to restrict the number of doctors that could be trained in the United States, claiming that, "The United States is on the verge of a serious oversupply of physicians." The AMA successfully lobbied Congress to cap how much Medicare could reimburse hospitals for resident physicians, which reduced residency training. In the decades following these restrictions on physician supply, the United States has a shortage of doctors. The United States was forecasted to have a shortage of 46,900 to 121,900 physicians by 2032. As a consequence of the restrictions on medical training in the United States, a quarter of physicians in the United States were trained abroad by 2022.

In the 1930s, the AMA attempted to prohibit its members from working for the health maintenance organizations established during the Great Depression, which violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and resulted in a conviction ultimately affirmed by the US Supreme Court.American Medical Ass'n. v. United States, {{ussc|317|519|1943}}

In 1982, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a Federal Trade Commission order that allowed doctors and dentists to advertise without professional association interference. The order restrained the AMA from its power to obstruct agreements between physicians and health maintenance organizations.{{cite news |title=Supreme Court Upholds FTC Order Letting Doctors and Dentists Advertise |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/03/24/supreme-court-upholds-ftc-order-letting-doctors-dentists-advertise/d87994f4-63ef-4e62-b585-80c2fbed1f2d/ |access-date=20 May 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In the 1980s and 1990s, the AMA lobbied to restrict the number of foreign-trained doctors to the United States{{Cite news |date=1986-06-14 |title=A.M.A. BOARD STUDIES WAYS TO CURB SUPPLY OF PHYSICIANS (Published 1986) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/14/us/ama-board-studies-ways-to-curb-supply-of-physicians.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231120145550/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/14/us/ama-board-studies-ways-to-curb-supply-of-physicians.html |archive-date=2023-11-20 |work=New York Times |language=en}} and to restrict the number of slots available to foreign-trained doctors to study in the United States.{{Cite news |date=1995-11-07 |title=Competition and Cutbacks Hurt Foreign Doctors in U.S. (Published 1995) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/07/nyregion/competition-and-cutbacks-hurt-foreign-doctors-in-us.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240422160659/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/07/nyregion/competition-and-cutbacks-hurt-foreign-doctors-in-us.html |archive-date=2024-04-22 |work=New York Times |language=en}}

The AMA has lobbied to restrict the ability of physician assistants to provide services with less oversight from doctors.{{cite web|url=https://coloradosun.com/2022/03/29/colorado-physician-assistant-legislation|title=Effort to loosen regulations on Colorado physician assistants fails after opposition from well-funded medical groups|last1=Najmabadi|first1=Shannon|last2=Fish|first2=Sandra|date=2022-09-22|orig-date=Original date 2022-03-29|website=The Colorado Sun|location=Denver CO|language=en-US|access-date=2024-09-24}}

In 2007, the AMA called for state and federal agencies to investigate potential conflicts of interest between the retail clinics and pharmacy chains.{{cite web |title=In-store clinics |url=http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070720/20clinics.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929123431/http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070720/20clinics.htm |archive-date=2007-09-29 |access-date=2007-07-22}}

In 1917, the AMA endorsed compulsory health insurance, but the organization faced backlash from its state-level societies for this position. The AMA established a policy of opposition to compulsory health insurance by state or federal government in 1920.{{cite book |author=George Rosen |title=A History of Public Health |date=January 16, 2015}}

A 1932 editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Society denounced a proposal for government-backed voluntary health insurance system.

In the 1940s, the AMA opposed President Harry Truman's proposed healthcare reforms, which would have expanded healthcare facilities in low-income and rural communities, bolstered public health services, increased investments in medical research and education, and provided a payroll-tax-financed, government-run health insurance plan to help relieve the burden of excessive healthcare bills from sick persons.{{cite web |last1=Markel |first1=Howard |date=19 November 2014 |title=69 years ago, a president pitches his idea for national health care |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/november-19-1945-harry-truman-calls-national-health-insurance-program |access-date=27 October 2020 |website=PBS News Hour |publisher=PBS}} The AMA condemned Truman's plan as "socialized medicine". The AMA charged each of its members an extra 25 dollars to finance a lobbying campaign against the Truman plan.

In 1961, the AMA opposed the King-Anderson bill proposing Medicare legislation and took out advertisements in newspapers, radio and television against government health insurance. The AMA established the American Medical Political Action Committee, which was separate from AMA though the Association nominated its board of directors. The AMA's efforts to defeat Medicare legislation was called Operation Coffee Cup.{{cite book |author=Wendell Potter |title=Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans |date=November 9, 2010}} the AMA produced the LP, "Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine". The AMA created an "Eldercare" proposal rather than hospital insurance through Social Security.{{cite book |author=Rosemary Stevens |url=https://archive.org/details/americanmedicine00stev |title=American Medicine and the Public Interest |date=1998 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520210097 |url-access=registration}} Since the enactment of Medicare, the AMA reversed its position and now opposes any "cut to Medicare funding or shift [of] increased costs to beneficiaries at the expense of the quality or accessibility of care".

The AMA did not take a position on Bill Clinton's proposed health care reform.

The AMA supported the Barack Obama administration's health care reform. In 2009, the American Medical Association released a public letter to the United States Congress and President Barack Obama endorsing his proposed overhaul to the public health care system, including universal health coverage.{{cite news |author=David D. Kirkpatrick |date=September 9, 2009 |title=A.M.A. Endorses a Health Care Overhaul |url=https://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/ama-endorses-a-health-care-overhaul/ |newspaper=The New York Times}} The following year, it offered "qualified support" for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.{{cite news |author=David M. Herzenhorn |date=March 19, 2010 |title=A.M.A. Offers 'Qualified Support' for Health Bill |url=https://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/a-m-a-offers-qualified-support-for-health-bill/ |newspaper=The New York Times}}

The AMA supported the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which introduced Medicare reforms and replaced the SGR formula with increased Medicare physician reimbursement.{{cite web |author=Joyce Frieden |date=April 14, 2015 |title=Senate Passes Historic SGR Repeal Bill By Vote of 92-8 |url=https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/50991 |publisher=Medpage Today}}

The AMA opposed Republicans' proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act in March 2017, saying millions of Americans would lose health care coverage.{{cite news |author=Reed Abelson |date=March 8, 2017 |title=American Medical Association Opposes Republican Health Plan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/health/american-medical-association-opposes-republican-health-plan.html |newspaper=The New York Times}}

The AMA has historically opposed single-payer health care.

The AMA's Committee on Alcoholism issued a statement in 1956 calling alcoholism an illness and encouraging medical personnel and institutions to admit and treat alcoholic patients.{{cite book |title=Psychiatric Services for Addicted Patients |date=1995}}

In 1972, the AMA launched a "war on smoking" and supported legislation that would prohibit tobacco sample disbursement.{{cite journal |last=Ruegg |first=Tracy A. |date=5 November 2015 |title=Historical Perspectives of the Causation of Lung Cancer: Nursing as a Bystander |journal=Global Qualitative Nursing Research |volume=2 |pages=233339361558597 |doi=10.1177/2333393615585972 |pmc=5342645 |pmid=28462309}}

In the early 1980s, the AMA advocated for raising the national legal drinking age to 21.{{cite journal |last1=Maybee |first1=Richard G. |last2=Wagenaar |first2=Alexander C. |date=20 May 2019 |title=WITHDRAWN: Reprint of "The Legal Minimum Drinking Age in Texas: Effects of an Increase from 18 to 19" |journal=Journal of Safety Research |doi=10.1016/j.jsr.2013.07.017 |s2cid=26380385}}

The AMA called for a ban on advertising and promotion of all tobacco products in any form of media.{{cite web |last1=Boffey |first1=Philip M. |last2=Times |first2=Special to The New York |date=11 December 1985 |title=A.m.a. Votes to Seek Total Ban on Advertising Tobacco Products |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/11/us/ama-votes-to-seek-total-ban-on-advertising-tobacco-products.html |access-date=20 May 2019 |website=The New York Times}} The AMA also proposed declaring snuff and chewing tobacco a health hazard, increasing the tax on cigarettes, prohibiting smoking on public transportation and urged medical facilities to ban smoking on their premises.{{cite web |last=Curry |first=George E. |title=AMA'S Proposed Tobacco-Ad Ban Lights Legal Fire |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-15-8503260866-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930162324/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-15-8503260866-story.html |archive-date=2019-09-30 |access-date=20 May 2019 |website=Chicago Tribune|date=15 December 1985 }}

In 2014, the Association created the AMA Opioid Task Force to evaluate prescription opioid use and abuse.{{cite news |author=Cindy Sanders |date=September 22, 2017 |title=Addressing Opioid Addiction in America |url=https://www.birminghammedicalnews.com/news.php?viewStory=2722 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824002325/https://www.birminghammedicalnews.com/news.php?viewStory=2722 |archive-date=August 24, 2018 |access-date=August 23, 2018 |newspaper=Birmingham Medical News}}

The AMA has supported changes in medical malpractice law to limit damage awards, which, it contends, makes it difficult for patients to find appropriate medical care. In many states, high risk specialists have moved to other states that have enacted reform. For example, in 2004, all neurosurgeons had relocated out of the entire southern half of Illinois.{{cite news |date=April 18, 2004 |title=The doctors are leaving |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/04/18/the-doctors-are-leaving/ |newspaper=The Chicago Tribune}} The main legislative emphasis in multiple states has been to effect caps on the amount that patients can receive for pain and suffering. These costs for pain and suffering are only those that exceed the actual costs of healthcare and lost income. At the same time however, states without caps also experienced similar results, suggesting that other market factors may have contributed to the decreases. Some economic studies have found that caps have historically had an uncertain effect on premium rates.{{cite web |title=Weiss Ratings - Weiss Ratings |url=http://www.weissratings.com/News/Ins_General/20030602pc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022193200/http://www.weissratings.com/News/Ins_General/20030602pc.htm |archive-date=22 October 2014 |access-date=19 April 2018 |website=Weissratings.com}} A recent report by the AMA found that, in a 12-month period, five percent of physicians had claims filed against them.{{cite web |title=Medical Liability Claim Frequency: A 2007-2008 Snapshot of Physicians |url=http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/363/prp-201001-claim-freq.pdf |access-date=19 April 2018 |website=Ama-assn.org}}

During a February 2021 JAMA podcast, a Deputy Editor of the journal proposed that "structural racism is an unfortunate term to describe a very real problem," and that "taking racism out of the conversation would help" to ensure "all people who lived in disadvantaged circumstance have equal opportunities to become successful and have better qualities of life."{{Cite web |last=Podcast |first=JAMA |date=February 23, 2021 |title=JAMA Podcast Transcript |url=https://canvas.emory.edu/courses/86982/pages/jama-podcast-transcript |access-date=October 25, 2023 |website=Emory Canvas Course Page}}{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Bruce |title=JAMA Posts Podcast On Structural Racism, Here Is The Backlash |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/03/07/jama-posts-podcast-on-structural-racism-here-is-the-backlash/ |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=Forbes |date=7 March 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Tanner |first1=Lindsey |title=Editor sidelined after medical journal racism podcast outcry |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-5b2c36f977f5d665513e4ea04a5fad77 |website=Associated Press |date=26 March 2021 |access-date=17 December 2023}} In addition to the comments made during the podcast, JAMA then tweeted out the podcast with the caption "No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care" which further added to the controversy.{{cite journal |last1=Nong |first1=Paige |last2=Lopez |first2=William |last3=Fleming |first3=Paul |last4=Creary |first4=Melissa |last5=Anderson |first5=Riana |title=Structural Racism Is Not An Exemption From Accountability |journal=Health Affairs |date=27 May 2021 |url=https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/structural-racism-not-exemption-accountability |access-date=17 December 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Chan |first1=JC |title=JAMA Editor Apologizes for Tweet Saying 'No Physician Is Racist' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/jama-editor-apologizes-tweet-no-physician-is-racist/ |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Wrap |date=4 March 2021}} The subsequent controversy led a Deputy Editor and the JAMA editor-in-chief Howard Bauchner to resign.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Bruce |title=JAMA Editor Resigns, Here Is The Latest Fallout From Podcast Questioning Structural Racism |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/06/09/jama-editor-resigns-here-is-the-latest-fallout-from-podcast-questioning-structural-racism/?sh=13dd8d5465f5 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=Forbes |date=9 June 2021}} Columnists Eric Zorn and Daniel Henninger asserted in separate Op-Eds that the resignation of the two editors was an unfortunate substitute for meaningful conversations about racism and health care,{{Cite web |last=Zorn |first=Eric |date=2021-06-03 |title=Column: Can we talk? JAMA's 'racism' controversy says the answer is no |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/06/03/column-can-we-talk-jamas-racism-controversy-says-the-answer-is-no/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Henninger |first=Daniel |date=June 2, 2021 |title=Banning Critical Race Theory |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/banning-critical-race-theory-11622670206 |access-date=September 29, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}} and the episode was highlighted as a case study of social media, polarization, and radicalization in Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott's 2023 book The Canceling of the American Mind.{{Cite book |last1=Lukianoff |first1=Greg |title=The canceling of the American mind: cancel culture undermines trust, destroys institutions, and threatens us all--but there is a solution |last2=Schlott |first2=Rikki |date=2023 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-6680-1916-0 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=193–208}}

After the podcast structural racism controversy in 2021, the AMA published a paper that included recommendations to help improve health equity and address structural racism which would encourage "explicit conversations about power, racism, gender and class oppression, forms of discrimination and exclusion."{{cite news | date = May 12, 2021 | title = American Medical Association issues an anti-racism plan for itself, the field of medicine | url = https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/5/12/22432730/american-medical-association-racism-antiracism-plan | work = Chicago Sun Times}} Its "Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts" document asked "questions about language and commonly used phrases and terms, with the goal of cultivating awareness about dominant narratives and offering equity-based, equity-explicit, and person-first alternatives."{{Cite web |title=Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts |url=https://www.ama-assn.org/about/ama-center-health-equity/advancing-health-equity-guide-language-narrative-and-concepts-0 |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=American Medical Association |language=en}}

In 2023, members of the Endocrine Society submitted a resolution that advocated against legislation criminalizing access to gender-affirming healthcare and supported efforts to oppose discriminatory policies. This resolution led to the AMA's decision to strengthen its position on protecting gender-affirming care.{{Cite web |last=Riedel |first=Samantha |date=2023-06-14 |title=The American Medical Association Has Strengthened Its Stance on Gender-Affirming Care |url=https://www.them.us/story/american-medical-association-resolution-gender-affirming-healthcare |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Them |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=AMA strengthens its policy on protecting access to gender-affirming care |url=https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2023/ama-gender-affirming-care |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=www.endocrine.org |language=en}}

The association has donated between $1.6 million and $3.4 million in election cycles between 1990 and 2020. Their distributions have varied from near parity for both Democrats and Republicans to heavily favoring Republican candidates at 75% in the 1996 and 2004 elections.

Between 1990 and 2020, the majority of contributions came from PAC money.

During the Civil Rights Movement, the American Medical Association's policy of allowing its constituent groups to be racially segregated in areas with widespread prejudice faced opposition from doctors as well as other healthcare professionals. Pressure from organizations such as the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) resulted in changed policies by the late 1960s.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, as well as his wife, Rose Friedman, have claimed that the organization acts as a guild and has attempted to increase physicians' wages and fees by influencing limitations on the supply of physicians and competition from non-physicians. In the book Free to Choose, the Friedmans stated that "the AMA has engaged in extensive litigation charging chiropractors and osteopathic physicians with the unlicensed practice of medicine, in an attempt to restrict them to as narrow an area as possible."{{cite book|last1=Friedman|first1=Milton|author-link=Milton Friedman|first2=Rose|last2=Friedman|author-link2=Rose D. Friedman|year=1990|title=Free to Choose: A Personal Statement|publisher=Mariner Books|isbn=9780156334600|pages=238–241}} The AMA was also criticized for holding up licensing of foreign-trained medical professionals who, after Adolf Hitler came to power, were fleeing to the U.S. from Nazi-controlled Germany and adjacent nations. Profession and Monopoly also criticized the AMA for limiting the supply of physicians and inflating the cost of medical care in the U.S. as well as its influence on hospital regulation.{{cite book|last1=Berlant|first1=Jeffrey Lionel|year=1975|title=Profession and Monopoly: A Study of Medicine in the United States and Great Britain|url=https://archive.org/details/professionmonopo0000berl/page/n8/mode/1up|url-access=registration|language=en-US|location=Berkley, California|publisher=University of California Press|page= |isbn=978-0-520-02734-3|lccn=74-76381|oclc=1814707|access-date= |quote= }}{{Page needed|date=September 2024}} In a 1987 antitrust court case, a federal district judge called the AMA's behavior toward chiropractors "systematic, long-term wrongdoing". The AMA was accused of limiting the associations between physicians and chiropractors. In the 1960s and 1970s, the association's Committee on Quackery was said to have targeted the chiropractic profession, and for many years the AMA held that it was unethical for physicians to refer patients to chiropractors or to receive referrals from chiropractors.{{cite news|title=U.S. judge finds medical group conspired against chiropractors|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/29/us/us-judge-finds-medical-group-conspired-against-chiropractors.html|access-date=October 23, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press|date=29 August 1987}}

In October 2020, the association used Twitter and Facebook to publicly oppose scope of practice creep, where non-physicians are permitted to provide healthcare services without physician oversight. The posts were removed the same day and the AMA commented that they were committed to "team-based healthcare guided by a physician" to "optimize patient outcomes."{{Cite news|date=2020-12-02|title=Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants Clash With Physicians in #StopScopeCreep Movement|url=https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/topics/practice-management-information-center/np-pa-clash-physicians-stop-scope-creep/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=Clinical Advisor|language=en-US|last1=Lampariello |first1=Michelle }} The American Academy of Physician Assistants published a letter expressing their frustration at the social media posts.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-10|title=AAPA Response to AMA's #StopScopeCreep Campaign|url=https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2020/01/aapa-response-to-amas-stopscopecreep-campaign/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=AAPA|language=en-US}} Rebekah Bernard from the advocacy group Physicians for Patient Protection publicly criticized the AMA for retracting their social media posts.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-03|title=PPP Won't Buckle to Critics on Scope of Practice|url=https://www.physiciansforpatientprotection.org/ppp-wont-buckle-to-critics-on-scope-of-practice/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=Physicians for Patient Protection|language=en-US}}

In 2024 and 2025 the AMA came under criticism for relative silence on US government interference in medical practice, such as the criminalization of abortion in many states, the de-funding and banning of many medical research studies and the promotion of anti-vaccination beliefs.{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Carrie |title=Silence of AMA, Other Doc Groups Vexes Some Physicians |url=https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/trump-era-silence-ama-other-doc-groups-vexes-some-physicians-2025a10006k2?ecd=WNL_trdalrt_pos1_ous_250325_etid7316466&uac=26630SY&impID=7316466 |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Medscape |date=March 19, 2025 |language=en}} The independent editors of JAMA, published by the AMA, condemned government over-reach into medical publishing and the de-funding of medical research.{{cite journal |last1=Bibbins-Domingo |first1=Kirsten |last2=Bonow |first2=Robert O. |last3=Bressler |first3=Neil M. |last4=Brubaker |first4=Linda |last5=Christakis |first5=Dimitri |last6=Christiansen |first6=Stacy L. |last7=Curfman |first7=Gregory |last8=Disis |first8=Mary L. (Nora) |last9=Flanagin |first9=Annette |last10=Galea |first10=Sandro |last11=Inouye |first11=Sharon K. |last12=Josephson |first12=S. Andrew |last13=Kibbe |first13=Melina R. |last14=Lieu |first14=Tracy A. |last15=Malani |first15=Preeti N. |last16=McDermott |first16=Mary M. |last17=Muth |first17=Christopher C. |last18=Öngür |first18=Dost |last19=Park |first19=Hannah |last20=Piccirillo |first20=Jay F. |last21=Perencevich |first21=Eli N. |last22=Perlis |first22=Roy H. |last23=Ross |first23=Joseph S. |last24=Shinkai |first24=Kanade |last25=Walter |first25=Kristin L. |title=Reaffirming the JAMA Network Commitment to the Health of Patients and the Public |journal=JAMA |date=1 April 2025 |volume=333 |issue=13 |pages=1121–1122 |doi=10.1001/jama.2025.2405 |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2830748 |issn=0098-7484|url-access=subscription }} By comparison, the leadership of the AMA was notably absent in lobbying against or even publicly criticizing the actions of the Trump administration which affected medicine in early 2025.{{cite news |last1=Asplund |first1=Jon |title=With Trump back in power, health care associations keep quiet |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-pulse/ama-aha-quiet-during-trumps-first-week-back-office |work=Crain's Chicago Business |date=24 January 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Stone |first1=Will |last2=Rascoe |first2=Ayesha |title=Many in the medical community oppose RFK Jr.'s confirmation as head of the HHS |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/01/26/nx-s1-5272811/many-in-the-medical-community-oppose-rfk-jr-s-confirmation-as-head-of-the-hhs |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=NPR |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Kopan |first1=Tal |title=‘It’s shameful’: Silence on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from major medical groups draws criticism - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/08/nation/its-shameful-silence-robert-f-kennedy-jr-major-medical-groups-draws-criticism/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=BostonGlobe.com |date=8 Feb 2025}}

The AMA is composed of policy discussion groups that meet twice a year for an annual meeting and an Interim meeting.{{Cite web|title = Meeting Dates|url = http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/house-delegates/meeting-dates.page|website=Ama-assn.org|access-date = 2015-09-23}} Within the AMA, there are sections that include Medical Students, Resident and Fellows, Academic physicians, Medical School Deans and Faculty, Physicians in group practice setting, Retired and Senior Physicians, International Medical graduates, Woman physicians, Physician Diversity and Minority health, GLBT, USAN, AMA board of Trustees, Foundation and Council.{{Cite web|title = Physician Leadership Opportunities at the AMA|url = http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/leadership-opportunities.page|website=Ama-assn.org|access-date = 2015-09-23}} External organizations, called AMA member organizations, come to these meetings by sending representatives. Representatives come from a state, specialty or the federal services/government service medical societies.{{Cite web|title = Member Organizations|url = http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/house-delegates/the-delegates/member-organizations.page|website=Ama-assn.org|access-date = 2015-09-23}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/medical-student-section/advocacy-policy/medical-student-debt.shtml |title=Medical Student Debt |access-date=2010-11-07| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101030071531/http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/medical-student-section/advocacy-policy/medical-student-debt.shtml| archive-date= 30 October 2010 | url-status= live}}

• AMA Foundation Leadership Award
• AMA Manual of Style
• AMA Scientific Achievement Award
• American Association of Physicians and Surgeons
• American Dental Association
• American Medical Student Association
• American Osteopathic Association
• ChangeMedEd
• George H. Simmons
• JAMA Pediatrics
• List of journals published by the American Medical Association
• National Physicians Alliance
• Physicians for a National Health Program
• C. A. L. Reed

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