Physicians in the United States Congress
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Physicians in the United States Congress have been a small minority of the members of Congress, with fluctuating numbers over the years. The number of physicians serving and running for Congress has risen over the last 50 years from 5 in 1960, down to a nadir of 2 in 1990, to a maximum of 21 in 2013 and a decrease to 14 in 2017. Possible explanations for this development have been increasing health care spending, increased
health care reform debate in the United States The healthcare reform debate in the United States has been a political issue focusing upon increasing medical coverage, decreasing costs, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement. Details Du ...
, leading up to the Healthcare Reform Act. In public opinion research by the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...
(AMA) from 2013, voters rated "understanding of the problems facing our
healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, a ...
, including the bureaucratic red tape that is strangling
health care providers A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...
and driving up the cost of health care for most Americans" as the most convincing statement of a physician candidate for Congress. Physicians in Congress have received large
campaign contribution Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political ac ...
s from health care
trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...
s and from peers through physician associations such as the AMA.


History

In 1776, 11 percent of signers of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
were physicians. Likewise two (5 percent) of the 39 individuals crafting the
US Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
in 1787 were physicians. During the first 100 years of Congress (1789–1889) 252 (or 4.6 percent) of 5405 members were physicians.


20th and 21st century

The number of physicians serving and running for Congress has risen over the last 50 years from 5 in 1960, down to 3 in 1970 and a nadir of 2 in 1990 up to 10 (2000) to a maximum of 21, including one female physician, in 2013, as of 2015, there were 18, and as of 2017 a small decrease to 15 physicians. Possible explanations for the increase since the 1990s have been increasing health care spending, increased
health care reform debate in the United States The healthcare reform debate in the United States has been a political issue focusing upon increasing medical coverage, decreasing costs, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement. Details Du ...
, leading up to the Healthcare Reform Act.


Motivations

Tom Coburn Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator for Oklahoma from 2005, until his resignation in 2015. A Republican, he previously served as a United St ...
said, "physicians have watched the profession undergo tremendous realignments that are shifting doctors' responsibilities away from patient care, changes they attribute to the government's inefficacy". Jim McDermott was quoted as saying "They want to have their hands right there on the handle so they can pull it one way or another." Physicians "balked at the idea of lawmakers with no medical experience making decisions that could upend the profession", per Andy Harris. Kelley Paul, wife of Rand Paul said in 2015 when he made his 2016 White House bid, "Being a physician gives Rand a unique perspective in Washington, simply because he's trained to diagnose a problem and find a solution."


Party membership

In 2013, three quarters of physicians in Congress were Republican, and 80% as of 2017. As a possible reason
Jim McDermott James Adelbert McDermott (born December 28, 1936) is an American politician and psychiatrist who was the U.S. representative for from 1989 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The 7th District includes most of Seattle, Vashon Isla ...
offered, "politically conservative physicians were more likely to chafe at the direction of changes in health care, with greater oversight by the government and a more regulated role for the private sector. It's a fundamental debate about what is in the public good." During the 2016 cycle the AMA political action committee spent $2 million with "direct contributions to 348 physician-friendly ongressionalcandidates (58% Republican and 46% Democratic)".


Gender, geography and medical specialty

Of the 27 physicians in Congress since 2005, 93% have been men, which is in stark contrast to 70% male physicians in general, 63% were from the South (vs 35% of all Congressional members) and 26% were surgeons (vs 11% of all US physicians).


Public opinion

In 2013, the AMA funded 3 focus groups of voters across the country and an online survey to research
public opinion Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...
on physicians as Congressional candidates. The top scoring potential message for a physician was to link back to health care
expertise An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable s ...
"Because physicians work in health care on a daily basis, they bring a clear understanding of the problems facing our
healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, a ...
, including the bureaucratic red tape that is strangling
health care providers A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...
and driving up the cost of health care for most Americans."


Candidates, 2014

Senate candidates in 2014 included "an obstetrician in North Carolina, Milton R. Wolf, a radiologist in Kansas, a liver disease specialist in Louisiana, and Representatives
Paul Broun Paul Collins Broun Jr. (born May 14, 1946) is an American physician and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Broun unsuccessf ...
and
Phil Gingrey John Phillip Gingrey (born July 10, 1942) is an American physician and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party (GOP). His district comprised the northwestern suburbs o ...
in Georgia, all of them Republicans. At least 26 more physicians were running for the House, some for re-election." per a ''New York Times'' article from March 2014.


113th Congress (2013–2015)

From 2013 to 2015 there were 20 physicians in U.S.Congress, 19 of whom were male and 16 were members of the Republican party. † 2009/2012 cycle ††2013–2014 cycle


114th Congress (2015–2017)

From 2015 to 2017, there were 17 physicians in U.S. Congress. All were male and 14 were members of the Republican party. † 2009/2014 cycle


115th Congress (2017–2019)

From 2017 to 2019 there were 16 physicians in U.S. Congress, all were male and 14 were members of the Republican party. There was also one podiatrist, one dentist, and one optometrist.


116th Congress (2019–2021)


117th Congress (2021-present)

There are 17 physicians in the 117th Congress, of which 13 physicians serve in the House and 4 physicians serve in the Senate


Physicians in political positions outside Congress

Civilian: *
United States Assistant Secretary for Health The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a Officer of the United States, senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office () and the holder of the offic ...
Uniformed service, United States Armed Forces: *
Surgeon General of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...
, overall head of the "Commissioned Corps" *
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, is the federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) and one of the ...
(PHSCC), the "Commissioned Corps"


References


External links


"Physicians in the Senate"
United States Senate, accessed May 28, 2015
National Council of Physician Legislators
Alliance for Patient Access, accessed 7 June 2018 {{United States Congress
Physicians A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
Health policy in the United States