The American Medical Association (AMA) is working to find a balance between navigating the Trump administration and pushing back when they disagree on key policy issues, Politico reported Saturday.
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, the group's new president, is trying to walk a diplomatic tightrope of speaking out against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while keeping an open line of communication. Mukkamala has been searching for a way to defend public health against what the group may view as dangerous policies, from shifts in vaccine guidance to Medicaid cuts. But such outspoken rhetoric carries risks, particularly if Republicans follow through on Kennedy's pledge to overhaul the way doctors are paid.
"On Monday, we might have something to say, 'We disagree. They shouldn't be doing this,' and on Tuesday, ‘We love this and congratulations,'" Mukkamala told the outlet. "That's what I think the year is going to be like."
In June, the AMA sent a letter to Kennedy warning of his decision to fire all 17 sitting members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and called for a Senate investigation into his actions. Dr. Michael Suk, then chair of the AMA board, replied to the letter saying, "Reactive activism can be risky — it can divert attention from larger, long-term goals.
"Let us be honest; we recognize that at times, we could have been more forceful," Suk told the delegates at an annual summit in Chicago. "We could have spoken louder, earlier, and more publicly."
After member doctors sharply rebuked AMA staff for their lukewarm response at a June summit, the group began criticizing Kennedy and President Donald Trump with a more focused and aggressive tone. But that change in approach may jeopardize the AMA's long-standing ties with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill and impede its push for policy wins. The delicate calculation for the group is the billions in Medicare reimbursements that are at risk as well as physician influence in Washington.
Former member of an AMA committee on federal legislation, Dr. Laurie Lapp, said she backs Mukkamala's outreach to the Trump administration — but hopes the AMA ultimately prioritizes opposing the federal government's decisions when appropriate.
"Is it going to work? I don't know," Lapp said. "I do not envy him and the line he has to toe."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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