AMA House of Delegates

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest physician organization in the country and the most influential healthcare lobbying force on Capitol Hill. The positions adopted by the AMA House of Delegates do not stay on paper – they shape lobbying strategy, inform conversations with lawmakers, and influence how legislation and regulation take form in Washington. When the AMA speaks, Congress and federal agencies listen.

Each year, ASPS sends a delegation of plastic surgeons to the AMA House of Delegates to speak, vote, and advocate on behalf of the specialty. Those delegates listen in on reference committees, speak during floor debate, and vote on policies that affect medical practice broadly and plastic surgery specifically. Their job is not theoretical. It is to prevent bad policy from becoming settled policy – and to help good policy move forward.

The size of that delegation – how many voices ASPS is able to bring into the room – is directly tied to AMA membership. This fall, ASPS will undergo its five-year AMA membership review, which will determine how many seats the Society retains in the House of Delegates and, by extension, how many plastic surgeons are in the room.

Currently, ASPS holds three delegate seats, supported by three alternate delegates. But we are close to something more.

With approximately 100 additional dual ASPS-AMA members, ASPS would become eligible for a fourth delegate seat. That additional delegate would mean another plastic surgeon in committee rooms and in debates, and another opportunity to stop problems before they are locked in.

Participation in the House of Delegates is not about winning every vote. It is about not forfeiting the decision-making process. If plastic surgeons are absent, others will decide what works for us – often without understanding how those decisions play out in our practice. Choosing not to participate does not insulate the specialty from those decisions. It simply removes our voice from the room.

We recognize that joining or renewing AMA membership is a real investment. For ASPS, AMA membership is not about endorsing every AMA position – it is about maintaining representation. ASPS does not participate in the AMA because we agree with every position it takes. We participate because we do not. If agreement were guaranteed, presence would be optional.

ASPS urges its members to join or renew their AMA membership. Your AMA membership determines how many plastic surgeons ASPS can send to the House of Delegates and ensures plastic surgery is heard when policy decisions are made. To join or renew AMA membership, visit member.ama-assn.org/join-renew.