Studies show that physicians have lower voting rates than lawyers and the general population.

Some may think that it’s because physicians view their clinical work as having a “greater social purpose.” The ACP’s Bob Doherty says that’s not true:

Public advocacy can involve many things, but in my mind it starts with voting.

It is understandable that some busy internists, faced with a choice between spending hours in line to vote, or devoting the same time to encounters with patients, might choose the clinical encounter over voting.

But as Drs. Grande, Asch, and Armstrong put it, “the U.S. health care system is widely recognized as plagued with major problems, including the intractable number of uninsured and thousands of associated deaths . . . As members of a profession, physicians should be participating in public affairs and contributing solutions.”

Health reform is coming. Physicians better be proactive in taking a leadership role, as any changes have the potential to fundamentally change our profession.

And that starts with voting today.

topics: politics, health reform