I’ve long heard the adage that advocacy in medicine is unprofessional. Doctors are supposed to be neutral in the face of injustice, more clinical machines than people. Now that I’ve been a doc for a few years, I can see how much of that is hogwash. I have also become keen to the specialties that seem to speak the loudest against advocacy and their demographics (hint: it’s the highest paid, most male-dominated ones, and the ones that are least accessible to marginalized populations.)
1st- medicine in America has never been apolitical. Per OpenSecrets, AMA spent $20 million lobbying the US government in 2018. Certain medical procedures, like abortions, are heavily regulated. Medicare/ Medicaid expansion directly impacts who can receive care and where. Every fluctuation in health policy affects what hoops we have to jump through to provide care. (See more in comments)
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