# American Medical Association The **American Medical Association (AMA)** is the largest U.S. physicians' organization, founded on May 7, 1847 in Philadelphia. For the KB it matters in two ways. Historically, it was one of the most effective opponents of national health insurance in American history, and the campaign that made "socialized medicine" a political weapon. Today it is a top-ten lobby on Medicare pay and insurer rules, and since 2025 an open opponent of [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr]]'s vaccine policy. ## The campaign against national health insurance - **Truman, 1945–50.** When [[Harry S. Truman]] proposed national health insurance (see [[Harry S. Truman - the health of this Nation is a national concern]] and the [[Economic Bill of Rights]]), the AMA hired the California political consultants Whitaker & Baxter in December 1948. "We're going to call it 'socialized medicine,'" Clem Whitaker said. The AMA levied $25 on each member. Estimates of what it spent run from more than $3.1 million (Wikipedia) to nearly $5 million over three years (Truman Library Institute). It distributed 43 million pieces of material in 1950 alone. The plan died. - **Operation Coffee Cup, 1961.** Against the King-Anderson bill, the forerunner of Medicare, the AMA's Woman's Auxiliary held home gatherings built around an LP, *Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine*. It made [[Ronald Reagan]] a voice of the anti-Medicare campaign. The same year the AMA created **AMPAC**, which bills itself as the first non-union political action committee. - **Medicare, 1965.** The AMA opposed it and pushed an "Eldercare" alternative. [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] signed Medicare on July 30, 1965 at the Truman Library, with Truman beside him. The AMA's later course turned. In November 2009 it endorsed the House health-reform bills that became the [[Affordable Care Act]]. ## Today - **Lobbying.** OpenSecrets ranks the AMA about eighth among 2025 spenders at about $23.8M. Its own disclosure filings for 2025 add up to about $23.1M; the gap is likely outside lobbying firms. The issues are Medicare physician pay, scope-of-practice fights with nurse practitioners and others, and [[Prior Authorization]]. See [[Lobbying Hub]]. - **Leadership.** CEO John Whyte (since July 2025, formerly WebMD's chief medical officer). President Willie Underwood III (since June 2026). - **Vaccines.** After RFK Jr. fired all 17 members of [[ACIP]] in June 2025, the AMA called for the decision to be reversed. In August 2025 it and seven other medical groups were removed from CDC vaccine workgroups as "special interest groups." The AMA is not a plaintiff in the pediatricians' suit that won an injunction against the new ACIP in March 2026. The organization that ran the "socialized medicine" campaign against Truman is now the establishment voice the administration has cut out of vaccine policy. ## See also - [[Lobbying Hub]] · [[Trade Association]] · [[Lobbying]] · [[Prior Authorization]] - [[Harry S. Truman]] · [[Economic Bill of Rights]] · [[Lyndon B. Johnson - healing miracle of modern medicine]] - [[Medicare]] · [[Affordable Care Act]] · [[ACIP]] · [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr]]