From New York to the Nation: MSSNY Physicians Bring Their Voice to the AMA House of Delegates
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Colleagues:
This week, physician leaders from across New York State will travel to Chicago to represent the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates. While much of the public sees only the final policies adopted by organized medicine, few appreciate the months of preparation, debate, compromise, and hard work that make those policies possible.
The AMA House of Delegates remains the nation’s largest and most influential physician policymaking body. It is where physicians from every specialty, practice setting, and state medical society come together to address the challenges facing medicine and our patients. The policies established there help guide national advocacy efforts, shape healthcare reform initiatives, and provide a unified voice for physicians across the country.
This process reflects one of organized medicine’s greatest strengths. Physicians bring their real-world experiences caring for patients into the policymaking arena. Whether practicing in urban academic medical centers, rural communities, independent private practices, or hospital-based settings, members understand firsthand the challenges facing both physicians and patients. The resolutions advancing to the AMA House of Delegates reflect those experiences and the commitment of physicians to improving healthcare.
Among the resolutions being considered is a proposal addressing the governance structure of the AMA itself. Introduced by New York, this resolution calls for an independent assessment of best practices regarding the tenure of the AMA Board Chair. The resolution recognizes that effective governance requires continuity, institutional memory, and stable leadership capable of overseeing long-term strategic initiatives and maintaining accountability to the House of Delegates.
New York is also advancing several other resolutions, including:
- Malpractice Insurance for Employed Physicians: Calling on the AMA to support a requirement that employers purchase only “occurrence” malpractice policies for physicians, rather than less protective “claims-made” policies that can burden physicians with costly tail coverage upon leaving employment.
- Medical Student Loans Should Not Be Capped: Opposing caps on federal medical student loans introduced by the H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would force students toward higher-interest private loans and potentially exacerbate physician shortages.
- Oppose Imposition of Fees on Physicians for Electronic Payment Transfers: Urging CMS to issue legally binding regulations to prevent the use of virtual credit cards or other fees on HIPAA-standard electronic transactions.
- Oppose Medicare Advantage Auto Enrollment: Opposing efforts to automatically enroll seniors into Medicare Advantage plans as the default option, which could harm vulnerable patients through narrow networks and restricted choices.
- Oppose Medicare Efficiency Adjustments: Pushing back against CMS’s new “efficiency adjustment” in the 2026 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule that arbitrarily reduces physician payments based on unproven assumptions about productivity gains.
- Plant-Based Diets at AMA Meetings: Encourage the use of evidence-based strategies to increase plant-based food options at AMA gatherings, to promote healthier dietary choices, while respecting individual autonomy.
- Protecting Healthcare as a Sensitive Location: Reaffirming and strengthening AMA policies to shield healthcare facilities from inappropriate immigration enforcement actions, ensuring patients are not deterred from seeking care.
- Transparency and Accountability in Utilization Review: Requiring insurance utilization reviewers to disclose their identity, specialty, and NPI, and ensuring they are licensed in the state where they make decisions affecting patient care.
The New York resolutions being presented did not emerge overnight. They are the product of extensive discussion at the 2026 MSSNY House of Delegates, where physicians from every region of our state carefully examined issues affecting patient care, physician practice, healthcare governance, and the future of medicine.
These resolutions represent only a small portion of the substantial work performed by MSSNY’s delegation. Numerous additional policies adopted during the 2026 MSSNY House of Delegates will be advanced, debated, amended, and refined throughout the AMA policymaking process.
For MSSNY, participation in the AMA House of Delegates is more than an annual meeting. It is an opportunity to ensure that the concerns of New York physicians and the needs of New York patients are heard at the national level. It is a chance to influence healthcare policy, advocate for our profession, and help shape the future of medicine.
I cannot overstate the importance of advocacy and, as President of MSSNY, I encourage everyone to get involved. MSSNY provides ample opportunities for active participation. Join one of the numerous committees, accompany us in Albany on MSSNY’s annual Lobby Day, or attend the annual meeting of the MSSNY House of Delegates. Furthermore, consider contributing to the MSSNYPAC and the MSSNY Foundation.
All the best,
Mark J. Adams, MD, MBA, FACR
MSSNY President
