Physicians’ Political Contributions Switched from Republican to Democrat in Twenty Years
One of the most interesting things about health politics and policy is that those mostly responsible for driving health costs — physicians — are the least concentrated interest group. If we want to know what the research-based pharmaceutical industry, the generic drug industry, the health insurers, the hospitals, or the medical-device makers want, we know where to go to find a fairly unified answer.
Physicians have no unified voice. The closest thing to a professional association for all physicians should be the American Medical Association, but it is not. It is a business that profits from a government-sanctioned monopoly on billing codes.
So, how do physicians engage the increasingly politicized healthcare system? They have dramatically increased their political donations, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. Furthermore, as the proportion of women practicing medicine has increased, so has the tilt towards Democrats.
Between the 1991 to 1992 and the 2011 to 2012 election cycles:
- Physicians’ campaign contributions increased from $20 million to $189 million;
- The percentage of active physicians contributing increased from 2.6% to 9.4%;
- Of physicians who contributed during the study period, the mean percentage contributing to Republicans was 57% for men and 31% for women;
- Since 1996, the percentage of physicians contributing to Republicans has decreased, to less than 50% in the 2007 to 2008 election cycle and again in the 2011 to 2012 election cycle;
- Contributions to Republicans in 2011 to 2012 were more prevalent among men vs. women (52.3% vs. 23.6%), physicians practicing in for-profit vs. nonprofit organizations (53.2% vs. 25.6%), and surgeons vs. pediatricians (70.2% vs. 22.1%);
- In 1991 to 1992, these contribution gaps were smaller: for sex, 54.5% vs. 30.9%; for organizations, 54.2% vs. 40.0%; and for specialty, 65.5% vs. 32.7%;
- The percentage of physicians contributing to Republicans across specialties correlated 0.84 with the mean earnings of each specialty — specialties with higher mean earnings had higher percentages of physicians contributing to Republicans.
The authors conclude: “Between 1991 and 2012, the political alignment of U.S. physicians shifted from predominantly Republican toward the Democrats. The variables driving this change, including the increasing percentage of female physicians and the decreasing percentage of physicians in solo and small practices, are likely to drive further changes.”
Hmm…What do you think? Does this mean Obamacare’s future is secure?
Most of the physicians I know tend to favor smaller government and lower taxes. But many also favor a bigger health care system, with higher reimbursements. Since government pays for about half of the health care system, that suggests a bigger role for government in health care. Those two goals may not sound compatible. Yet, people with incompatible goals are not uncommon. Who knows, maybe doctors who tend to favor lower taxes give to Democrats primarily as tribute to deter them from laws even less favorable to doctors. That is partly why there is never a permanent Doc Fix, just an extension.
I have doctors in the family, all are conservative and oppose what is happening in the health care system but given the stats above it looks like doctors brought it on themselves. Hope you like being a hospital employee.
Fewer than 20% of American doctors and medical students are members of the AMA.
A group that size can be a significant voice in medical policy.
But it seems to me that 20% of physicians don’t represent leadership of their own profession let alone the nation at large.
The AMA used to fight Socialized Medicine. My brother-in-law hired a guy named Dr. Annis who was the past President of the AMA. In 1962 the famous debate of Dr. Annis VS JFK took place in Madison Square Garden where they battled over Medicare. Dr. Annis beat JFK and Medicare was defeated. Then JFK was shot and everything changed. LBJ said that Medicare was the dying wish of JFK and the rest is history. That’s politics for you.
Watch the Madison Square Garden fight between JFK VS Dr. Annis NOW:
Round 1) 8 minutes (Pitiful Propaganda from JFK)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFesycofKk4
Round 2) 10 minutes (Dr. Annis and JFK Knock Out)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqVkOlhbsEM
Round 3) 10 Minutes (Ronald Reagan to Doc’s wife’s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkhJ-C8a3aA
Now the AMA is a bunch of wimps and the AAPS is where docs aught to be like Dr. Ron Paul and Dr. Rand Paul.
http://aapsonline.org/index.php/about_us/
They aren’t colleagues of mine.
“Hmm… What do you think? Does this mean Obamacare’s future is secure?”
Sure, if physicians like to receive low reimbursements due to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. I would think after Obamacare, the political contributions would sway the other way, except the docs with a “heart of gold.”
“The variables driving this change, including the increasing percentage of female physicians and the decreasing percentage of physicians in solo and small practices, are likely to drive further changes.”
Well if more money is donated by docs who work in hospitals and less by docs who work in clinics, then I could see their support. Obamacare will get more butts in the door at hospitals.
Thank you. That is good insight. As the Marcus Welbys continue to disappear, there will be less pressure to return freedom to medicine.
John why is my comment censored about the AMA?
Oy. When people contribute very frequently, there is an automatic brake that kicks in case it is spam. NCPA has to manually approve it.
Physicians are at the front line of all of this, I would be surprised to see much support to the democratic health care agenda, especially in primary care clinics.
The AMA used to fight Socialized Medicine. My brother-in-law hired a guy named Dr. Annis who was the past President of the AMA. In 1962 the famous debate of Dr. Annis VS JFK took place in Madison Square Garden where they battled over Medicare. Dr. Annis beat JFK and Medicare was defeated. Then JFK was shot and everything changed. LBJ said that Medicare was the dying wish of JFK and the rest is history. That’s politics for you.
Watch the Madison Square Garden fight between JFK VS Dr. Annis NOW:
Round 1) 8 minutes (Pitiful Propaganda from JFK)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFesycofKk4
Round 2) 10 minutes (Dr. Annis and JFK Knock Out)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqVkOlhbsEM
Round 3) 10 Minutes (Ronald Reagan to Doc’s wife’s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkhJ-C8a3aA
Now the AMA is a bunch of wimps and the AAPS is where docs aught to be like Dr. Ron Paul and Dr. Rand Paul.
http://aapsonline.org/index.php/about_us/
– See more at: http://healthblog.ncpathinktank.org/physicians-political-contributions-switched-from-republican-to-democrat-in-twenty-years/comment-page-1/#comment-293580
From Doctors I know, JAMA is too polititicized and New England Journal of Medicine offers more accurate and less biased medical studies. If political bias has seeped into their clinical magazine then I would figure the AMA has become a political organiAtion not truly representative of its member but more beholden to political benefactors like the AARP has become.
The NEJM has had its share of horrible policy articles. Marcia Angell was editor-in-chief and an advocate of government-monopoly health care.
Exactly Big Joe, my best friend said exactly the same thing last night when he emailed me. His first sentence is about “Overdose of Socialism” and his second is about Rand Pual’s statement about the AMA at the AAPS:
“Thanks Ron. Great reading material. It’s like turning back time and living in the present. What Dr. Faria talks about in 1999 has never really gone away and prevails in its highest form today.
The comments from Dr. Rand Paul about the AMA is re the same thing that has happened with many association/organizations like AARP, Unions, etc. They no longer present anyone’s interest except their own.”
The AARP hates the tax-free MSA, jerks.
U don’t have to be a brain surgeon but, Dr. Faria is.
http://drmiguelfaria.com/articles/overdose-socialism (AAPS)
The rumor is that Dr. Ron Paul is coming to the NCPA!
I hope he says – Tax-Free HSA – Tax-Dodge / Texas-Style!