Congress gains 2 new physician members
Health care issues rank high on the agendas of both congressmen-elect.
By
Geri Aston, AMNews staff. Nov. 25, 2002.
Additional information
Washington -- Two obstetrician-gynecologists soon will make the switch
from delivering babies to delivering on campaign promises.
Michael Burgess, MD, of Highland Village, Texas, and Phil Gingrey, MD,
of Marietta, Ga., were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives Nov.
5.
The congressmen-elect, who talked strategy over the phone during their
campaigns, see the humor in two Republican physicians with the same
specialty getting elected at the same time. "I'm sure we'll have an ob-gyn
caucus within our caucus," Dr. Gingrey joked.
Although the House will gain two new doctors, it will lose two
physician lawmakers. Reps. Greg Ganske, MD (R, Iowa), and John Cooksey, MD
(R, La.), lost their Senate bids. Both plan to return to their practices.
Dr. Ganske is a plastic surgeon and Dr. Cooksey is an ophthalmologist.
The number of doctors in the House will remain at eight. The Senate's
only physician, William Frist, MD (R, Tenn.), was not up for re-election.
Drs. Gingrey and Burgess both hope to be appointed to committees with
jurisdiction over health care legislation.
8 physicians will serve in the 108th House of Representatives.
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"My aspiration is to be on the Ways and Means Committee," Dr. Burgess
said. That powerful panel deals with health care issues, including
Medicare. But Dr. Burgess realizes that, as a freshman lawmaker, he might
not be able to swing such a plum assignment. If not, he'd like to serve on
the Transportation and Infrastructure panel, where he could address the
traffic problems plaguing rapidly growing Denton County.
The two doctors are passionate about physician issues and hope to use
their knowledge of the health care system to advance medicine's causes in
Congress. Both list medical liability reform as top a priority.
"I'd like to be right there and try to help craft and deliver a
liability reform package to the Senate and see it passed," Dr. Burgess
said. He hopes the GOP's Senate takeover will help make tort reform and
other Republican health care initiatives a reality.
"The House has been serving up good legislation only to have it hit a
brick wall in the Senate," he added.
The experiences of both doctors as obstetrician-gynecologists -- one of
the specialties hit hardest by skyrocketing liability insurance rates --
will be an asset, said AMA President Yank D. Coble Jr., MD.
The AMA's political action committee supported both physicians' bids
for Congress. The choice was made not just because they are doctors but
because of their stances on health care issues, said AMPAC Chair Roy
Vandiver, MD.
"I'm delighted they were both elected," he said. "Over time I think
we'll find they will make outstanding lawmakers for the entire country,
not just their districts."
Tort reform isn't the only health care issue on the lawmakers' short
list for action. "All the things that frustrated me so much in my
practice, I could do something about in Congress," Dr. Gingrey said.
He is interested in working on a Medicare drug benefit for seniors,
health insurance access for the 41.2 million uninsured Americans and
patients' bill of rights legislation.
Dr. Burgess mentions Medicare physician payment, problems with the
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, and the regulatory
burden of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as
topics he would like to address.
"There are big issues out there affecting my brethren," he said.
The road to Congress
Although both men have medical specialty and party affiliation in
common, they took very different paths to the House.
The 51-year-old Dr. Burgess was a political novice when he decided to
run for retiring House Majority Leader Dick Armey's seat. The physician
underdog beat Armey's son, Scott, a former Denton County judge, in the
primaries.
According to Troy Alexander, director of the Texas Medical Assn.'s
political action committee, Dr. Burgess had "no name recognition
whatsoever." He won the race practicing what Texans call "blocking and
tackling" and sticking to basic campaign values, Alexander said.
Dr. Burgess was supported by Texas physicians. "Medicine came in by
helping him establish a base," Alexander said. He beat his Democratic
challenger, businessman Paul LeBon, by 75% to 23%.
Problems that he saw at work every day prompted Dr. Burgess to seek
office. "I didn't give up everything to run for Congress because
everything was perfect in my practice in relation to the government."
But physician issues will not be Dr. Burgess' only focus. His platform
includes making taxes fairer, funding highway improvements, reforming
education, opposing abortion and improving homeland security.
His first task, though, will be "starting to learn a new trade," he
said. The job is somewhat intimidating.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't humbled by the responsibility, but I'm
ready to work," Dr. Burgess said.
The 60-year-old Dr. Gingrey, on the other hand, is no stranger to
politics.
His first election was to the Marietta School Board, where he served
from 1993 to 1997, three years as board chair. He jokes that he was
probably a single-issue candidate but doesn't remember the cause. "One of
my children didn't make the cheerleader squad or some such foolishness."
He then won a seat in the Georgia Senate, where he is finishing his
second term. Dr. Gingrey continued to practice during his Senate service.
He took a year-long sabbatical to run for the U.S. Congress.
Dr. Gingrey won his race against Democratic businessman Roger Kahn by
52% to 48%, despite his district's Democratic leanings. "He stayed the
course and ran a positive campaign," said Chuck McMullen, director of the
Medical Assn. of Georgia's political action committee. "I think he
out-worked him."
Dr. Gingrey was a "good friend of medicine" in the state Senate, where
he fought for prompt payment from HMOs, stricter driving laws for
teen-agers and health plan liability, and against prescribing rights for
optometrists, McMullen said.
"If Dr. Gingrey does half as much for us in Congress as he did in the
state Senate, he'll be a great asset," he added.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Docs in the House
- Michael Burgess, MD (R, Texas), ob-gyn
- Donna Christian-Christensen, MD (D, Virgin Islands), family practice
- Ernie Fletcher, MD (R, Ky.), family practice
- Phil Gingrey, MD (R, Ga.), ob-gyn
- Jim McDermott, MD (D, Wash.), psychiatrist
- Ron Paul, MD (R, Texas), ob-gyn
- Vic Snyder, MD (D, Ark.), family practice
- Dave Weldon, MD (R, Fla.), internal medicine
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Weblink
Campaign site for Phil Gingrey,
MD (http://www.gingrey.com/)
Campaign site for
Michael Burgess, MD (http://www.burgessforcongress.com/)
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Copyright 2002 American Medical Association. All
rights reserved.
