A 50-Year Review of Congressional Membership by Health Care Professionals: Is Surgical Representation Adequate?

Abstract

Although 100% of congressional legislators vote on health care policy, only a minority have a background in health care. A review of the participation of health care professionals (HCPs) in Congress, highlighting participation by surgeons, is critical to the future policy-making endeavors in health care. This article seeks to better understand the characteristics of HCPs who engage in advocacy and describe the trends in their representation in Congress, with commentary on participation by surgeons and its impact on current health advocacy efforts.A search of Congress.gov and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress was performed to identify professional health care history for each congressperson, followed by review of official campaign websites for health advocacy work. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Software for changes in representation of HCPs, physicians, and surgeons in Congress over time. Although there has been increasing representation of HCPs in Congress in the past 25 years, surgeons have the lowest increase in congressional membership. For health care reform to optimally address high costs, variable insurance coverage and reimbursement rates, and equal access to care, more physicians must make health care advocacy efforts an integral part of their careers. Incorporation of education in areas of health care advocacy and/or reform into undergraduate and graduate medical education curricula may help address deficiencies in knowledge of current health care-related events to further encourage involvement in health care legislation.