Are Doctors Becoming Democrats?
New research published in JAMA shows that political giving by physicians has swung significantly towards Democrats and away from Republicans in 20 years or so. In 1993-1994, 69 percent of physicians who made political donations gave to Republicans, and their giving comprised 65 percent of doctors’ political giving. In 2013-2014, 45 percent of doctors who made political donations gave to Republicans, and they comprised 50 percent of doctors’ political giving.
Simple arithmetic tells us that the average Republican donation in 1993-1994 was slightly smaller than the average Democratic donation, and it had turned around by 2013-2014. Doctors also became much more active in presidential elections over the years. They gave $124 million in 2007-2008 and $148 million in 2012-2012. In 2003-2004, they only gave $92.6 million and just only $30.6 million in 1995-1996. (All amounts are reported in inflation adjusted 2012 dollars.)
Further, doctors were clearly anti-Obamacare, but appear to have given up hope for change. In the 2009-2010 mid-term cycle, 56 percent of physicians gave to Republicans. However, 63 percent of doctors who were new to political giving gave to Republicans. $42.4 million (52 percent of the total $81.6 million given in that cycle) was given to Republicans.
After President Obama had been re-elected, only 45 percent of physicians (and 44 percent of physicians new to political giving) donated to Republicans in the 2013-2014 mid-term cycle. $28.8 million (half of the total $57 million given in that cycle) was given to Republicans.
In other words, Republican giving by physicians over the two mid-term cycles dropped by one third while Democratic giving only dropped only one quarter. This suggests that both sides think the fight for health reform has been won by Obamacare.
Maybe that explains why Congressional Republicans were so enthusiastic about the bipartisan so-called Medicare “doc fix” that President Obama signed last month, and which will cement the gains of Obamacare.
