III.

The 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s

During the 1960s membership in the AMA grew, and about 70 percent of practicing physicians belonged to the organization. In 1961 the group formed a political action committee to channel money to political campaigns. A year later the AMA launched a campaign against proposals to create a national health insurance program called Medicare for people over age 65 (Medicare and Medicaid). Many physicians feared government interference in their practices, and they argued that Medicare would waste taxpayers’ money by providing coverage to millions of people who could afford health insurance without government assistance. However, the AMA supported government-funded health insurance for the poor, such as Medicaid. The AMA did not stop the passage of the Medicare bill, which President Lyndon Johnson approved in 1965, but it did influence certain parts of the new law. Originally, Medicare was designed to cover all health-care costs for the elderly, but the approved law only covered some of the costs.

In 1972 the AMA launched what would become a long-running campaign against the use of tobacco. It released a report on the hazards of cigarette smoking and urged the government to regulate and reduce the amount of tobacco products sold to the public. During the 1970s the organization also adopted a resolution opposing sex discrimination in medical institutes and worked to recruit more female physicians. However, overall membership in the AMA began to drop. Many doctors no longer thought that the AMA was especially relevant to their practice or their patients, and some began joining organizations that focused more on their medical specialty. To recruit more people, the AMA opened membership to medical students. By 1975 only about 50 percent of the nation’s physicians belonged to the AMA.

During the 1980s the AMA adopted a resolution that opposed acts of discrimination against patients suffering from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS). It lobbied for more funding for AIDS research and objected to legislation that would affect patient-physician confidentiality. It also established an educational program to provide the public with information about AIDS. During the 1980s and early 1990s the AMA clashed with the American Bar Association (ABA), the chief professional association for attorneys in the United States, over the issue of medical malpractice suits. The AMA, citing an increase of medical malpractice lawsuits, lobbied state and federal policymakers to help regulate and limit malpractice claims and awards. The ABA argued that the AMA’s proposals would take certain legal rights away from individuals.