American Medical Association - Obama Presidency Oral History American Medical Association Index / Organizations Transcript Andrew Stern ...Association, head of the AMA [American Medical Association], head o... ...Association, head of the AMA [ American Medical Association ], head of the nurse associatio... ...other relationships. The head of the AMA , they knew the head of the AHA—so i... Bob Kocher ...and say, “Let us self-regulate.” The AMA [American Medical Association... ...say, “Let us self-regulate.” The AMA [ American Medical Association ] notoriously said, “Oh, docto... ...course, the president spoke at the American Medical Association annual meeting in June of 2009. Do yo... ...was necessary or important to go to the AMA convention? Sure. It's the AMA—th... ...to the AMA convention? Sure. It's the AMA —the AMA torpedoed Hillary Clinton'... ...convention? Sure. It's the AMA—the AMA torpedoed Hillary Clinton's healthcar... ...anticipated legislative process. The AMA was being a constructive player—an... Show more... Carolyn Britton ...was the immediate past president of the AMA [American Medical Association] comin... ...immediate past president of the AMA [ American Medical Association ] coming to NMA's annual meeting i... ...on—interestingly, in 2004, I think, the AMA , the NMA, and the Hispanic Medica... ...of the members in the NMA were in the AMA . So they set up that commission. An... ...Hill and testified on its behalf. The AMA fought it, okay? The South, and becaus... ...were very powerful within the AMA —they fought Medicare and Medicaid... ...this moment of unity between NMA and AMA in pushing for high-quality healthcar... ...really a signature moment. I think the AMA had made progress in some ways; the... ...NMA who were there, and after that the AMA president attended our meetings, w... ...that would be introduced in the AMA , and AMA resolutions similarly int... ...would be introduced in the AMA, and AMA resolutions similarly into the NMA... ...was a really important step, with the AMA , and it was really something. I'... ...around that. The big thing with the AMA was having it step up to the table fo... Show more... Nancy Nielsen ...Dr. Nielsen served as president of the American Medical Association [AMA] from June of 2008 to June o... ...of the American Medical Association [ AMA ] from June of 2008 to June of 2009... ...as vice-speaker and speaker of the AMA House of Delegates, and on the AM... ...the AMA House of Delegates, and on the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs. Dr... ...did you first become involved with the American Medical Association ? Well, actually, it's interesting... ...resident, I didn't even belong to the AMA , because I thought it was an old Whit... ...“You know, you really have to go to the AMA .” And I was stunned at what I foun... ...wasn't a change—was how involved the AMA had been in medical ethics for severa... ... What was also changing in the AMA was the perception that th... ...2007 you became president-elect of the AMA . And I wanted to ask about whethe... ...which was speaker of the House of the AMA , and then suddenly becam... ...if that's okay. Please, please. The AMA board of trustees had an annua... ...two decades, crafting a plan that the AMA was putting forward for a way to insur... ...the states were representatives of the American Medical Association ? They were. Some were staffers. Som... ...the Republican strategist said to the AMA , “No one knew you cared,” how did tha... ...the 2007 to 2009 big, big spend for the AMA . Can I ask, did you go out on th... ...talking about it. And I remember the AMA people who deal with the media ha... ...in your opinion, do you think that the AMA 's campaign, beginning in 2005, 2006... ...reform would have been passed had the AMA not made this such an issue. I... ...course, as the 163rd president of the American Medical Association in June of 2008. I had the opportunity... ...a pretty radical thing to say to the AMA , frankly, because there are people wh... ...Did the rank and file membership of the AMA react in ways that you'd expected? ... ...first, just one more note about your AMA presidency. Of course, you were onl... ...you think that was important for the AMA as an organization. Well, it wa... ...developed in 2005, or the way that the AMA was thinking about health care refor... ...a particularly important part of the AMA 's draft proposal for health car... ...about the president's address to the AMA meeting in June of 2009. But in th... ...the inauguration? I did. I did. The AMA president got to go to th... ...said, “No, you're the president of the AMA . He is really concerned about healt... ...our government affairs people at the AMA were intimately involved wit... ...your memories of the membership of the AMA , were there lots of different opinion... ...that that would be the headline for the AMA . And I knew that because the AMA Hous... ...the AMA. And I knew that because the AMA House of Delegates was so split o... ...thought health care reform within the AMA , and the debates and discussions abou... ...about health care reform within the AMA , might unfold in the year to come? Ha... ...time when I was on the road with the AMA . That's amazing. I want to ask abou... ...what he needed, as he did at the AMA when he spoke to us in June of tha... ...government and organizations like the AMA deliberated over health insuranc... ...insured, and is that something the AMA was involved in preparing for? Well... ...care reform aside, did the AMA have any particular responsibilities a... ...in that. I wanted to ask about how the AMA kept track of what was happening i... ...Were there particular ways that the AMA tracked, for example, what wa... ...societies were very involved with the AMA and keeping them apprised of what wa... ...you represented as president of the AMA ? We had been very vocal about th... ...policy. You had been part of the AMA since the 1980s, for decades, in othe... ...you that Hillary Clinton came to the AMA and addressed the House of Delegate... ...with some pilot projects. What did the AMA want to see happen with medica... ...appearance at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association in June of 2009, which, of course, tha... ...a really important time. He needed the AMA to back the health reform efforts, an... ...Everywhere. [Laughs] Everywhere in the AMA leadership. Forgive me—go ahead, I'... ...I was part of, but the people at the AMA know very well how to do this. What d... ...to arrive, they took me, the CEO of the AMA , and—I'm trying to remember—I thin... ...and she said, “I know what you and the AMA have done for health reform, and I jus... ...in the rank and file membership of the AMA . Was that something that was importan... ...the conversation at all within the AMA ? Well, I will tell you, frankly... ...like this. He said, “I don't think the AMA should be doing all of this on behal... ...behalf of getting people insurance. The AMA is supposed to be about helpin... ...with the administration and within the AMA about just how important that part o... ...was done with the policy experts at the AMA that had the strong relationships wit... ...debate, both in public and within the AMA , over health care reform? Also, ... ...of health care legislation. Was the AMA involved in those discussions? The... ...to IPAB. The official policy of the AMA was really clear. Absolutely opposed t... ...of 2009 as an issue in Congress. The AMA , along with several othe... ...of the Affordable Care Act, changed the AMA as an organization in any way? ... ...I think what changed the—I think the AMA changed back in 2005, I really do, whe... ...other things that we care about. The AMA is completely regarded differently now... ...of 2010. I had finished my time at the AMA in June of 2010, and I was back at m... ...on my part. I was no longer with the AMA , so I was no longer representing th... ...so I was no longer representing the AMA . But I knew that what Don Berwick, an... ...in your capacity as president of the AMA on health care reform, in terms o... ...as well as your presidency of the AMA , shape how you go about you... ...and throughout the presidency of the AMA , and beyond. I wanted to ask whether... ...being on the road as president of the AMA and in other capacities? I learned ... ...health care reform, as president of the AMA , and really as a doctor throughou... Show more... Regina Benjamin ...to be elected to the board of the American Medical Association [AMA]. In 2002 she became president o... ...of the American Medical Association [ AMA ]. In 2002 she became president of th... ...passed. And Georgia delegation of the AMA took me to the AMA to speak to the sam... ...delegation of the AMA took me to the AMA to speak to the same issue, and th... ...then also serving on the board of the AMA , working in these larger nationa... ...other groups—the organizations, the AMA , every organization I could, you know... ...that I was serving. And through the AMA and other organizations I realized ... ...they're saying, “Yes, you usually go to AMA . You were easy to reach no matte... ...time? I was very involved with the American Medical Association . I had been the first person unde... ...pursuing? Over the years, through the AMA as well, we had supported othe... ...general change over time, and the AMA had some positions on what we felt wer... ...that hard. Again, I grew up through the American Medical Association . When I was elected to the board, i... ...so all of that is a public eye. And AMA has public campaigns, and so I was kin... ...kind of used to that. I always tell my AMA colleagues, there is no question ... ...to the medical community, and, as the AMA , we're communicating to the America... ...things that are policy. With the AMA with the administration, you alway... ...Fit Nation, I have a friend from the AMA , one of my medical colleagues, and sh... Show more... Zeke Emanuel ...also read that he resigned from the American Medical Association [AMA] to protest the organization'... ...from the American Medical Association [ AMA ] to protest the organization'... ...more professional organizations, the AMA , and ANA [American Nurse... ...thanks for that. You mentioned the American Medical Association . I know that you were engaged with th... ...I know that you were engaged with the AMA over the course of negotiations. Ca... ...administration was looking for from the AMA in order to move forward wit... ...Yes. I think that they wanted the AMA to endorse this. And the AMA did, as ... ...wanted the AMA to endorse this. And the AMA did, as a matter of fact. In some o... ...public support was low, actually, the AMA issued letters endorsing the Affordabl... ...social status. I don't know that the AMA or doctors are particularly—but they'r... Show more... Nancy-Ann DeParle ...and certainly with the doctors, the American Medical Association and the other many, many differen... ...Back in the Clinton administration, the AMA [American Medical Association] had bee... ...the Clinton administration, the AMA [ American Medical Association ] had been opposed to pretty muc... ...we spent a lot of time talking to the AMA , and their leadership had changed ... ...that has continued. I think now, the AMA is probably even more progressive no... ...to be in the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association just because you turned your name in... ...and certainly with the doctors, the American Medical Association and the other many, many differen... ...Back in the Clinton administration, the AMA [American Medical Association] had bee... ...the Clinton administration, the AMA [ American Medical Association ] had been opposed to pretty muc... ...we spent a lot of time talking to the AMA , and their leadership had changed ... ...that has continued. I think now, the AMA is probably even more progressive no... ...to be in the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association just because you turned your name in... Show more... Jeanne Lambrew ...you go back to May when he gave the American Medical Association speech, and it was a great speech fo... ...wrote a piece in JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association ] about what we would recommend happen... 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