Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

What does it mean to be a progressive doctor?

Surafel Tsega, MD
Policy
September 15, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

A curious post popped up on my Facebook feed recently: “Another doctor running for office!” A picture of an attractive family was nestled below that exclamation, asking to show your support (in the form of dollars) for this doctor running as a Democrat for the House of Representatives. It had that sense of enthusiasm that implied I was obligated to be excited, but instead came off more like Jeb Bush’s perfunctory, “Please clap.” It joined a growing number of posts supporting physician candidates in the “Progressive Doctors” Facebook group (of which I happen to be a member).

Physician candidates are popping up across the country, gaining media attention as they decide to leave lucrative careers in medicine to join the fight for health care. These candidates are described as “progressive” and their sites are shared widely amongst the various self-identified progressive or liberal physician Facebook groups, garnering clicks, and maybe even some financial support from individuals likely unable to vote in the candidate’s district. However, when you visit these candidates’ websites, they are vague on the policies the candidate supports.

What makes them progressive? Is it the mere fact that they are Democrats running in opposition to President Trump? Is it enough that they opposed repealing Obamacare (along with the GOP’s proposed cruel replacements)? Is it enough that they are physicians doing this? I posted a comment on one post asking what made the individual a progressive; I never got a reply. No one seems interested in answering these questions.

As we inch towards the 2018 midterm elections, these physician candidates and others who may soon join them, need to have concrete policies to offer constituents, particularly if they are explicitly running as progressives who oppose Republican health care policies. They should have clear stances on single payer, a public option, and Medicaid expansion. They need not be experts on health policy, but they should at least be able to clearly state whether or not they believe health care is a basic human right.

The best physicians don’t just treat a disease; they treat the whole patient. In the same way, the best candidates should not simply abstain from non-health care related issues. They should be championing progressive solutions that touch upon every aspect of a constituent’s life, particularly the social determinants of health, such as stable and affordable housing, a living wage, criminal justice reform, and well-funded (and free) public education. They should oppose the privatization of basic public services. They should advocate for a fair redistribution of wealth. And they should make it easy for us to find their positions on these issues.

That Facebook post I mentioned earlier was the perfect “mindless like”; something that seems to hit all the right notes and allow people to reflexively click “like” without having to think. This isn’t how we should be scrutinizing progressive candidates asking for our support. As physicians and as citizens, we should be demanding more. We live in a time that calls for concrete, substantive solutions, not empty platitudes or partisan labels. Here’s hoping there are a few progressive doctors up to the challenge.

Surafel Tsega is a hospitalist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

This South Pacific island will change how you think about health care

September 15, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

The toughest task in emergency medicine

September 15, 2017 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy, Washington Watch

Post navigation

< Previous Post
This South Pacific island will change how you think about health care
Next Post >
The toughest task in emergency medicine

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Surafel Tsega, MD

  • We can no longer tolerate an inhumane health care system

    Surafel Tsega, MD

Related Posts

  • Has your doctor asked you about climate change?

    Martha Bebinger
  • Why this doctor decided to run for political office

    Michelle Au, MD, MPH
  • Health care workers should not be targets

    Lori E. Johnson
  • Patients made this doctor care about politics

    Chad Hayes, MD
  • Here’s why this doctor came around to single-payer insurance

    Giri Venkatraman, MD, MBA
  • This doctor will be running for the legislature in the future

    Anonymous

More in Policy

  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • What Adam Smith would say about America’s for-profit health care

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

    Michael Misialek, MD
  • Conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies

    Martha Rosenberg
  • When America sneezes, the world catches a cold: Trump’s freeze on HIV/AIDS funding

    Koketso Masenya
  • A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care

    Christine Ward, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Hope is the lifeline: a deeper look into transplant care

      Judith Eguzoikpe, MD, MPH | Conditions
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • From hospital bed to harsh truths: a writer’s unexpected journey

      Raymond Abbott | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 8 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Hope is the lifeline: a deeper look into transplant care

      Judith Eguzoikpe, MD, MPH | Conditions
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • From hospital bed to harsh truths: a writer’s unexpected journey

      Raymond Abbott | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

What does it mean to be a progressive doctor?
8 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...