For the most part I would agree with you. However the only claim filed with the AMA that I have first hand experience with was paid.

We had an electric glider go down in the field adjacent to ours which resulted in a fire. The property owner claimed she had hay stacks in the field that were lost to the fire. She did not. AMA took control of the claim and paid it within a few weeks. Club officials were not happy as they had told AMA staff multiple times there was no hay. Speculation on my part but I believe AMA paid the claim because it was clear that the property owner would have filed a suit against the club if AMA denied the claim thus choosing to protect the club. Bottom line is that there was no effort to find a loophole to deny the claim.