[hremid]

Congress froze the number of Medicare-supported residency slots at 100,000 under the Balanced Budget act of 1997 [1]. The cap remains in place to this day, despite a massive shortage of physicians.

The AMA's official position in 1996:

"To decrease the rate of physician supply, limits must be placed on the number of medical school graduates entering GME [graduate medical education]. Since the federal government currently plays a major role in financing GME and is responsible for establishing immigration laws that affect IMG participation in GME in this country, it is imperative that the federal government partner with the medical education community to achieve this goal." [2]

The AMA worked closely with then Speaker of the House Newt Gringich to overhaul Medicare's relationship with physicians. [3]

The AMA is typically the biggest spender among lobbying groups in the health care sector.

[1] http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/News/health/2005-03-02-doctor...

[2] http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/PolicyFinder/policyfil...

[3] http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/assets/storage/Research%20-%20...