House Calls: Physicians in the US Congress, 2005-2015

South Med J. 2015 Nov;108(11):657-61. doi: 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000366.

Abstract

Objectives: Physicians occupy a prominent position in the US healthcare system, and physicians who serve in Congress may bring a particular perspective, expertise, and influence to health-related legislation. The purpose of this study was to describe physician membership in the US Congress between 2005 and 2015.

Methods: Congressional biographical records were searched to identify physicians who served in the US Congress from 2005 to 2015. Political and demographic characteristics of physician-members were compared with those of nonphysician-members of Congress and of all US physicians. The numbers of physicians in recent Congresses also were compared with those in each Congress since 1945.

Results: A total of 27 physicians representing 17 states have served in Congress since 2005. There has been a significant increase in physician representation since 1987, reaching a high of 20 members (3.7%) in the Congresses immediately following passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Physician-members were mostly men (93%) and more likely than their Congressional colleagues to be Republican (78% vs 53% of all members, P = 0.007) and from the South (63% vs 35% of all members, P = 0.003). Compared with physicians in general, physicians in Congress were more likely to be men (93% vs 70%, P = 0.009) and surgeons (26% vs 11%, P = 0.01).

Conclusions: Physician representation in Congress has increased substantially since 2000, potentially reflecting the greater political prominence of healthcare issues, as well as increased interest by and recruitment of physician-candidates. Physicians in Congress differ from their colleagues and from physicians in general in various demographic and political characteristics.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Federal Government
  • Health Policy / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Humans
  • Legislation as Topic
  • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Physician's Role*
  • Physicians* / statistics & numerical data
  • Policy Making
  • Politics*
  • United States