I’m a doctor — and I’ll say it proudly: the AMA deserves every royalty they collect, and probably more. They’ve done more to protect the integrity of American medicine than any other institution. Without them, we’d be working 80 hours a week and still struggling to afford a one-bedroom apartment — just like doctors in France, where a cardiologist makes less than a dental hygienist in Ohio.

People don’t realize how bad it is out there. In some countries, doctors are taking public buses to work, skipping lunch to see 50 patients before noon, and retiring with the same savings as a schoolteacher. Meanwhile, patients complain that a 15-minute consultation in the U.S. costs $300. You’re not paying for the time — you’re paying for the privilege of certainty, of safety, of knowing your doctor passed through the most rigorous, exclusive system in the world.

And who built that system? The AMA.

They’ve helped ensure that American medical training remains second to none. Not just in quality, but in difficulty. The years of unpaid labor, the crushing debt, the endless exams — it’s not a flaw, it’s a filter. Without those standards, the profession would lose its weight, its dignity. If becoming a doctor were simply a matter of competence and compassion, we’d all be wearing name tags and making $60,000 a year.

But thanks to the AMA, we’ve maintained the sanctity of the white coat. We’ve ensured that when a patient walks into an American clinic, they know they’re not seeing someone who just slipped through the cracks. They’re seeing someone who’s been tested, refined, and yes — financially punished enough to demand respect.

Let’s not pretend this work is trivial, either. Just last week I diagnosed a UTI, prescribed a $4 antibiotic, and quite literally saved someone’s life — that’s a bargain at $500. If I’d been compensated based on the value of that outcome, I’d be driving home in a McLaren, not a Lexus.

And let’s be clear: this system doesn’t just benefit doctors. Everyone in medicine — from PAs to NPs to specialists — benefits from the professional ecosystem the AMA has helped shape. We’re not just providers. We’re institutions.

So yes, I’ll keep paying my AMA royalties. I’m paying to be part of something that still means something. I’m paying for the architecture that keeps American medicine elite, untouchable, and worth every penny.

And if someone wants to pay $100 for a doctor visit? There are countries for that. You just might have to bring your own stethoscope.