AMA in the News: August 2025

AMA in the News covers media coverage and mentions about the American Medical Association. Find articles recognizing our efforts in health care, advocacy, medical education and improvements in public health. Read coverage on the achievements of our leadership and the members of the AMA community.

1. CDC staff gather to honor ‘the people that protect America’ after leaders who resigned were escorted out of agency

   1. CNN, Aug. 28, 2025
   2. “Last night’s removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of other CDC leaders are highly alarming at a challenging moment for public health. This destabilization comes at a time when the CDC’s credibility and leadership are more essential than ever,” Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. “The AMA is deeply concerned that this turmoil leaves us highly susceptible to public health threats.” 

2. Medicare will require prior approval for certain procedures

   1. New York Times, Aug. 28, 2025
   2. The American Medical Association wrote in a letter (PDF) that doctors view prior authorization “as one of the most burdensome and disruptive administrative requirements they face in providing quality care to patients.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

3. RFK Jr. targets one of the strongest state school vaccine mandate laws

   1. Washington Post, Aug. 27, 2025
   2. “At a time of eroding public confidence in vaccines, particularly with measles outbreaks impacting communities across the U.S., allowing non-medical vaccine exemptions as a matter of religious, philosophic or personal belief will further exacerbate vaccine-preventable illnesses,” Mukkamala said, adding that nonmedical exemptions “endanger both those who choose not to—and those who want to but cannot—get vaccinated.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

4. The AMA doesn’t put politics ahead of science

   1. Wall Street Journal. Aug. 26, 2025
   2. "For more than 175 years, the AMA has worked with administrations from both parties on critical science and public-health issues. Robust public debate about health policy is essential to Americans’ well-being and civic flourishing. We welcome such bipartisan cooperation and remain committed to discussing the science openly—especially when there is disagreement." —Board Chair David Aizuss, MD, and CEO/Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

5. Medicare pays physicians one-third less than decade ago, study finds

   1. Forbes, Aug. 26, 2025
   2. The issue of cuts in physician Medicare payment has been an issue for years for physician groups led by the American Medical Association.

6. No time for the doctor? You can give yourself a flu vaccine

   1. Newsweek, Aug. 16, 2025
   2. In an email statement to Newsweek on Saturday afternoon, President of the American Medical Association (AMA) Bobby Mukkamala, MD, said: "In addition to hand washing and staying home when you're sick, vaccination is important, and this new technology further removes barriers to helping people get them—making it more accessible for patients and representing a positive step forward for keeping us all healthy."

7. Blocking physician input on vaccines endangers patients

   1. Modern Healthcare, Aug. 15, 2025
   2. The following physician organizations are signatories to this column: The American Academy of Pediatrics; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American College of Physicians; the American Medical Association; and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

8. AMA president: NIH is wrong to pivot from mRNA vaccines

   1. Washington Post, Aug. 14, 2025
   2. "Public trust is paramount, but encouraging Americans to disregard science and their physicians is a step in the wrong direction." —AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, Flint, Michigan. The writer is the president of the American Medical Association. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

9. mRNA vaccines at risk after HHS cuts | What you need to know

   1. Fox News Chicago, Aug. 13, 2025
   2. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is cutting funding for mRNA vaccine research and overhauling its vaccine advisory board, leaving the American Medical Association off the roster. The AMA’s president, Bobby Mukkamala, MD, says the move could have far-reaching effects on vaccine innovation, access, and the way doctors and patients navigate critical health decisions.

10. Physician pay declines despite rising workloads: report

    1. Modern Healthcare, Aug. 13, 2025
    2. “Rising inflation and declining Medicare reimbursement threaten care for millions of Americans and are forcing doctors, especially in rural and underserved areas, to shut their doors or sell their practices,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association, in an email. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

11. The President of the American Medical Association shares top concerns for health care

    1. WLBT, Aug. 12, 2025
    2. The president of the American Medical Association knows firsthand what it’s like to face a devastating diagnosis. He was in Mississippi to offer his support to state healthcare providers and to share his battle with cancer.

12. AI in the Lecture Hall: Redesigning medical education for the digital generation

    1. Medscape, Aug. 8, 2025
    2. This aligns with the master adaptive learner model, a framework by the American Medical Association that prioritizes reflection, feedback and intentional growth. (Free registration is required to view content.)

13. New federal student loan limits are a ‘punch in the face’ for aspiring doctors: American Medical Association president

    1. CNBC, Aug. 7, 2025
    2. “This is now a generation that has a big-time punch in the face,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association.

14. Vaccine policy shakeup: What RFK Jr.'s planned cuts could mean

    1. WUSA9, Aug. 6, 2025
    2. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, from the American Medical Association speaks to Get Up DC.

15. Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research

    1. STAT news, Aug. 5, 2025
    2. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association, called on the administration to reconsider the decision. “COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology helped saved countless lives during the pandemic. We urge the Administration to continue vital research to improve mRNA vaccines, not throw the baby out with the bathwater by effectively preventing research from moving forward,” he said via email. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

16. RFK Jr. may be on the verge of dismantling U.S. preventive health care

    1. Washington Post, Aug. 5, 2025
    2. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association, told me that physicians rely on these guidelines “big time.” It’s just not possible for them to read every new publication on every disease. His members trust the task force’s carefully vetted scientists to keep them up-to-date on changing evidence. Its credibility depends on objective, methodological evaluation of the evidence. “We want to stick to science, and opinion isn’t a part of science,” he said. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

17. AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups

    1. Associated Press, Aug. 4, 2025
    2. In a joint statement Friday, the AMA and several of the other organizations said: “To remove our deep medical expertise from this vital and once transparent process is irresponsible, dangerous to our nation’s health, and will further undermine public and clinician trust in vaccines.”

18. New AMA report highlights lack of competition in PBM market

    1. Med City News, Aug. 3, 2025
    2. “As PBMs increasingly act in their own self-interest without transparency or accountability, drug prices rise and patients face health risks from cost prohibitive drug treatments,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, in a statement. “The AMA’s analysis is intended to provide insight to help policymakers understand the anticompetitive conditions in the PBM market that can result in harm to patients.” 

19. AMA decries CDC's move to cut experts out of panels that develop vaccine policy

    1. Crain’s Chicago Business, Aug. 1, 2025
    2. Eight medical associations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of American, are "alarmed" that the federal immunization adviser is barring them from looking at scientific evidence that is supposed to inform its decision-making process. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

20. Multiple medical groups say they have been barred from work on CDC's panel of vaccine advisers

    1. Good Morning America, Aug. 1, 2025
    2. A total of eight groups signed on to the statement, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association and the National Medical Association among others.